Photo courtesy of Netflix ()
Did you catch the new Netflix hit series Squid Game yet?
I tried with all my might to avoid it because I thought it was a kids’ show, but eventually gave in after a friend recommended it. Turns out this show is deeper than children’s entertainment and prominently features social problems we’re all currently living through.
What is ‘Squid Game’?
In this dark Korean fictional drama series, competitors in unmanageable debt play old-fashioned children’s games in order to win a ton of cash. They play innocent children’s games in the drama but the penalty for losing is death without mercy. I felt that this kind of juxtaposition is one of the big reasons why it has resonated with so many people. No matter how you analyze this drama, it’s simply fun, sick, and addictive.
Photo courtesy of Netflix
What is dalgona candy?
Let’s dig deeper into this drama without spoilers. Amongst the deadly six games in the show, the Honeycomb Shape Cutting called dalgona or ppopgi is the most talked-about game along with the ‘red light and green light’ game.
In my elementary school days, the sweet and brittle candy was typically sold by street vendors or stores near the schools. The flat and circular-shaped candy comes with a variety of symbols, like a star or heart, pressed into the middle. My friends and I also used to call it gukja, which means ladle, maybe because we made dalgona in the ladle over a fire.
The rule of the game is simple— you’re supposed to break off the brittle candy without damaging the center shape. This is tricky as the candy tends to crack in straight lines rather than around the heart, triangle, or star stamped on the center of the dalgona. When I played this with my friends, if one of us messed up, we’d just share our candy.
Where to try the dalgona candy?
You can find dalgona for sale at a handful of local cafes or stores near Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base. Many are riding the Squid Game wave and you’ll see ready-made dalgona candy with imprinted shapes around to draw in customers.
But I wanted to try the game the way I did back when I was in grade school, at the stationery store. It took a lot of searching online, but I finally found two places that offers a retro dalgona game at Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.
To get to these dalgona shops, I visited Suwon handicraft street (or Haeggung-gil) near Hwaseong Temporary Palace. Walk down from the Hwaseong Temporary Palace toward Paldalmun Gate until you see the store Black Rubber Shoes (검정고무신), which offers the traditional dalgona challenge for mere 3,000 won. After making a quick stop at the shop, I made my way to another spot since the stool inside for kids seemed too small for me to sit.
Soon I reached ‘Old Memory of Dalgona’(추억의 달고나), another dalgona place and chose this spot to recall my childhood memory. Inside there were youngsters busy struggling with the candy.
You can also just grab the dalgona candy for 2,000 won and play the game by yourself at home, but I just settled down in front and gave it try. No idea how to break it? Don’t worry, the shop’s skillful owner can help you.
Thanks to my gifted education, I still have a high level of skill set to win the dalgona game. I paid 3,000 won to join the game. The result? Right after I gave the sugar a stir with a chopstick, I carved the shape masterfully and finished the game in a jiffy.
As a prize for the glorious winner, I got a rainbow spring toy. The toys and candy definitely brought me back to my childhood and I had a great time with this trip down memory lane.
Old Memory of Dalgona
ADDRESS 경기 수원시 팔달구 행궁로 44 102호 추억의 달고나 (KOR), 44, Haenggung-ro, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si (ENG),
HOURS 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Open year - round)
PHONE 031-252-4655
Suwon Handcraft Street (Haeggung-gil)
If you lose the dalgona game, don’t be too disappointed. Haenggung-dong handicraft street has many shops and workshops to cheer you up. Haenggung can literally be translated as a “ceremonial walk of the royal family” and the street is a historical place where the king used to walk to hear the voice of people during the Joseon Dynasty. Plus, you can find many neat restaurants that serve up tasty dishes. Come out of the dalgona store and take a leisurely stroll down a street fit for a king!
