One of the fresh shocks I experienced when I visited Kazakhstan was its chocolate. During the Japanese colonial period in Korea, they already had a chocolate factory, producing and enjoying high-quality chocolate. During the Soviet era, they exported it to many Central Asian countries, and they still do. Travelers visiting Kazakhstan generally buy chocolate as a souvenir.

I, too, once bought the famous 'Rahhat' chocolate as a souvenir. Koreans came to know chocolate on a popular scale only after the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Before that, people struggled just to make a living, so most lived without even knowing what chocolate was. I have read writings from the Japanese colonial era or around the war where foreigners described Korea as a "beggar nation," and those words now make sense.

Once, I mentioned to a tourist that I love Kazakhstan chocolate. That tourist listened closely, and after returning home, sent some chocolate to "Cherry Garden" through another traveler. I was truly moved. Because a local had directly sent me the chocolate I had enjoyed so deliciously. Perhaps it is because of these small, everyday moments of happiness that we enjoy meeting neighbors around the globe.

The shashlik of lamb that I ate and found the most delicious in my life was right there in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Lamb lovers who taste Kazakh lamb shashlik lose their minds. It would be great if it expanded into Korea, but Korea lacks saxaul tree roots, and those trees cannot be exported abroad. Therefore, it can only be tasted locally. I would love to visit once again, but it feels like I might not get the chance.

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