After 'Minumsa Bread,' a Youngpoong Bookstore Buffet? Literary Foods Come to the Table

Could "Youngpoong Bookstore buffet" be the next big food trend after "Minumsa Bread"?

As the "text hip" trend — embracing books and literary culture as a lifestyle statement — spreads among people in their 20s and 30s, the food and retail industries are moving quickly to capitalize on it. GS25's "Minumsa Bread," a convenience store product developed with publisher Minumsa, has triggered nationwide sellouts, while buffet brand Take has rolled out a new set of literary-themed dishes in partnership with Youngpoong Bookstore.

Take, the buffet brand of food service company Ourhome, is running a pop-up table collaboration with Youngpoong Bookstore at its flagship Jonggak branch through Nov. 10, according to the food and beverage industry. The partnership was inspired by the branch's location inside Youngpoong Building, which also houses a Youngpoong Bookstore.

The concept behind the collaboration menu stands out. Drawing on Youngpoong Bookstore's identity as a bookseller, the dishes reinterpret foods that appear in literary works — novels, comics and more — through a contemporary lens. The aim is to pair menus with books, and books with menus, offering diners a distinctive culinary experience.

The five collaboration dishes are: clam chowder, inspired by Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick"; sausage Neapolitan, drawn from the manga "Midnight Diner" by Abe Yaro; eel and cucumber hoso-maki, inspired by "Shota no Sushi" by Terasawa Daisuke; omija punch, featured in Heo Young-man's Korean food comic "Sikgaek"; and Swedish meatballs, inspired by the story of "Pippi Longstocking."

Take had earlier generated buzz in May with a collaboration menu featuring Samyang Foods' Buldak brand. "The Buldak collaboration menu drew a particularly strong response from foreign customers," a Take official said. "This time, the collaboration with Youngpoong Bookstore — located in the same building as our flagship branch — started from the idea that if we bring foods from novels to life as actual dishes, customers can taste the story."

The product that best illustrates the reach of the text hip trend is the "Minumsa Bread" line, developed by GS25 in collaboration with publisher Minumsa. Each package contains one of 20 randomly inserted transparent bookmarks featuring cover designs from 15 volumes in Minumsa's World Literature Collection — including "Pride and Prejudice" and "On Love" — as well as five poetry collections.

The product sold out nationwide almost immediately after its Aug. 21 launch, driven by word of mouth on social media. It has held the top spot in the search rankings on the GS25 mobile app "Woori Dongne GS." Individual breads are priced at 2,700 to 3,700 won, but popular bookmarks have been changing hands on secondhand trading platforms for more than 10,000 won ($7).

"Cumulative sales of Minumsa Bread have exceeded 490,000 units," a GS25 official said. "Order quantity limits have constrained the pace of sales, but every other indicator — buzz, app traffic, search volume — is hitting all-time highs."

Lotte Wellfood earlier partnered with publisher Bookk to release limited-edition seasonal candies capturing the sensibility and imagery of popular poetry collections. Its "Anytime" and "Green Grape Candy" products incorporated the cover designs and mood of the poetry books "Peach One Bite" and "Green Grape Filament," respectively, allowing consumers to experience the feel of the literary works.

Industry insiders expect the stream of text hip-themed product launches to continue for now. Companies see strong potential in drawing in millennial and Gen Z consumers who want to go beyond simply reading literary works and immerse themselves in the emotional world of the stories. "The text hip trend is spreading among younger generations," one industry official said. "It gives existing customers a new experience while also bringing in new ones."