In Seoul, the Squid Game series delights a couple of confectionery sellers

By Redaction News Published onNewsSee my news

The worldwide success of the South Korean series Squid Game is the delight of a couple of small traders from Seoul who, every day, in front of their modest stand see fans eager to buy a "dalgona", the now famous candy at the heart of a challenge to be taken up in one of the nine episodes.

This candy, long associated with the extreme poverty that followed the post-war period, has been given a new life since the release of the Netflix production of Squid Game.

The origin of the game

This series features characters from the most marginalized sections of South Korea participating in traditional children's games in order to win 45.6 billion won ( €33 million).

In one of the events, competitors must cut shapes, including a star and an umbrella, out of this crunchy sugar cake. Those who fail to break it are immediately executed.

This game of life or death was inspired by the story of director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who grew up in Seoul in the 1970s. free dalgona.

To win, Mr. Hwang showed incredible inventiveness, not hesitating to lick the treat to detach the shape or use a heated needle. In the series, the characters reproduce these different techniques.

“The dalgona maker would be dubious if I saw me pull off the most difficult form, which is that of an umbrella,” the director claimed in a recent YouTube video.

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Complicated scenes to shoot

The candy cutting scenes were complicated to shoot, because the dalgona melts very easily in a humid atmosphere, especially during the rainy season in South Korea.

Art director Chae Kyung-sun therefore called on “dalgona specialists” who came to make the candy at the filming location.

Lim Chang-joo and his wife Jung Jung-soon produced between 300 and 400 dalgonas during the three days of filming. “They were smaller and thinner than the ones we usually make,” Lim explained.

Now, their modest stall, located on a street in Seoul's theater district, is now one of the most popular places in the South Korean capital.

As soon as it opens, people flock in the hope of buying one of these treats that they make on site and sell for 2,000 won (about 1.45 euros). It is not uncommon for customers to have to wait up to six hours. Some end up giving up and leaving empty-handed.

It takes Mr. Lim about 90 seconds to melt sugar and baking soda in a small ladle over a burner. Then, he presses the dough and, using a mold, he gives the shape desired by the customer.

The artisan confectioner offers a range of shapes and recently even added an “N” for Netflix.

Mr. Lim, who never imagined his confectionery would become so popular, now has a “super hectic” life.

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Financial crisis

Dalgona emerged in the 1960s, when South Korea was plagued by post-war poverty. Desserts – like ice cream or chocolates – were rare and sold at exorbitant prices.

Very sweet, with notes of nuts and bitterness, this delicacy was very popular, and many vendors set up their stalls near schools.

Mr. Lim and Ms. Jung decided to get into this business after their sewing shop closed during the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Source: © 2021 AFP

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