Dosirak

[SheenaGreena]

how about the korean version of the bento box -- dosirak? Its the antithesis of the japanese bento box, incredibly messy and not neat at all (but it looks sooooo delicious)

There is a nice section on it on Zenkimchi's blog: ZenKimchi

[jschyun]

how about the korean version of the bento box -- dosirak?  Its the antithesis of the japanese bento box, incredibly messy and not neat at all (but it looks sooooo delicious)

There is a nice section on it on Zenkimchi's blog:  ZenKimchi

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I've never seen a dosirak that looked that horrible. Fat Man had more accurate pics on his blog unless things have drastically changed very recently.

also older people sometimes call a doshirak a "bento" because of the occupation which forced koreans to learn japanaese.

--personally i like to make mine just like jeniac's

Edited April 18, 2006 by jschyun (log)

[chefzadi]

how about the korean version of the bento box -- dosirak?  Its the antithesis of the japanese bento box, incredibly messy and not neat at all (but it looks sooooo delicious)

There is a nice section on it on Zenkimchi's blog:  ZenKimchi

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That has to some trashy dosirak. I've never seen one that sloppy and sloppy is not a given characteristic of Korean dosirak. You really have to go out of your way to find one that looks like that.

I lived there for a few years...

Dosirak is dosirak and not a Korean version of Japanese bento. Like jschyun said Japanese words were used because of occupation, doesn't make it neccessarily Japanese influence.

boxed meals go way back in Korea. I saw them at museums.

[SheenaGreena]

I guess its messy because it was shaken. Do you shake all of them or is it the one that is most similar to bibimbap with the rice, egg, assorted veggies and gochujang? Its probably alot easier to shake a bibimbap in a square box than it is to stir

I used to live in Korea as well and I can say that I have never seen these things. My lunch boxes were alot neater, in their own seperate compartments and in cute little hello kitty boxes

[jschyun]

I guess its messy because it was shaken.  Do you shake all of them or is it the one that is most similar to bibimbap with the rice, egg, assorted veggies and gochujang?  Its probably alot easier to shake a bibimbap in a square box than it is to stir

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I've never heard of anyone shaking their lunches before. That was bizarre. OTOH, it's a great idea for bibimbap and there's probably some company who makes a good living on shake and eat bibimbap haha!

[torakris]

I have never seen anything like this and find it even more interesting that it was served in a restaurant.

Are there boxed meals more similar to a Japanese bento in Korea? What would a family pack for a lunch in the park for example?

[jeniac42]

I guess its messy because it was shaken.  Do you shake all of them or is it the one that is most similar to bibimbap with the rice, egg, assorted veggies and gochujang?  Its probably alot easier to shake a bibimbap in a square box than it is to stir

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I've never heard of anyone shaking their lunches before. That was bizarre. OTOH, it's a great idea for bibimbap and there's probably some company who makes a good living on shake and eat bibimbap haha!

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[sanrensho]

Are there boxed meals more similar to a Japanese bento in Korea? What would a family pack for a lunch in the park for example?

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[melonpan]

rice with various side dishes.

some korean families eat this way:

mom will make one large entree a night and maybe a large amount of a typical banchan. the entree is partially eaten along with leftover entrees from two, three and four days ago (now served up as banchan) and banchan from two, three and four days ago.

some of this will pop up in dosirak. sometimes mom will make stuff specifically for lunch, sometimes momll take from leftovers. anyway, in doshirak, youll include a lot of banchan, and sometimes a small amount of entrees like bulgogi, fish and seafood dishes, deep fried meats and or veggies, western specialties (hot dog dishes), spam stuff, spaghetti, kimbaps, omlettes, dumplings, leftover curries, chinese food, japanese food...

lots of stuff goes. its lame to say it, but korean food that packs well is pretty much the answer. you dont want something too fussy and you want something with rice.

<a href="http://cook.miznet.daum.net/Cook/cook/cook_theme.asp?Bbs_Code=B7">heres a page on "simple and pretty" doshirak</a>

[SheenaGreena]

I would usually eat kimbop with lots of left over namul, some spam and that flourescent yellow radish. Kimbop is the ultimate lunch/snack meal and is a great way to use up leftover meat and veggies.

My mom would also pack me up some dried squid and peanuts as a snack...yummy! Now I enjoy this with childhood snack with an ice cold beer or five

[sanrensho]

I would usually eat kimbop with lots of left over namul, some spam and that flourescent yellow radish.  Kimbop is the ultimate lunch/snack meal and is a great way to use up leftover meat and veggies. 

Interesting. Kimbap was the first thing that came to mind when this subject came up.

Are school lunch programs very extensive in Korea? Is there a lot of variety, and who makes the meals?

[torakris]

so dosirak aren't necessarily shaken up?

It was just that one specific one? The pictures melonpan linked to look quite similar to a Japanese bento though a little more scattered. Japanese bentos tend to be very compartmentalized.

Do the ones that you shake up have a specific name?

[ZenKimchi]

Ears were burning, so I thought I'd help clarify.

There are different kinds of dosirak, since it translates to "lunch box." The kind I talked about in my blog were part of a food trend at restaurants in and around Seoul where the dosirak was either an appetizer or substituted for rice. Fat Man's dosirak are take out full meals, and I honestly haven't come across those types outside of dunkass (read: Japanese influenced) restaurants. The dosirak "shakers" I was introduced to by Koreans, and the background information on the blog were basically verbatim what they told me.

They're just called "dosirak" or "benddo" on menus, but you can tell they're the shake up kind because they're 2,000 won.

Edited April 20, 2006 by ZenKimchi (log)

[Jinmyo]

That's a very interesting page you've linked to, melonpan. Thank you.

[ZenKimchi]

I'm interested in this topic as well. For example, what kind of lunches do Korean schoolchildren typically eat, assuming that they bring them from home?

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I've taught a few English schools, and the meals are usually served at the school itself. But on field trips, the kids usually bring kimbap and cute little sides. My girlfriend said that the dosirak in the metal box that was more like a bibimbap was something she grew up with in the 1970s in the countryside near Gyeongju.

And, yes, squid is very popular too. The kids ripped into this boy's buttered dried squid.

Edited April 20, 2006 by ZenKimchi (log)

[torakris]

ZenKimchi, welcome to eGullet!!

Thank you for those very informative posts and pictures, I have learned a lot.

[sanrensho]

I've taught a few English schools, and the meals are usually served at the school itself.  But on field trips, the kids usually bring kimbap and cute little sides.  My girlfriend said that the dosirak in the metal box that was more like a bibimbap was something she grew up with in the 1970s in the countryside near Gyeongju.

Cute photos. I think I spy a dosirak full of croissants...lucky kids.

Edited April 20, 2006 by sanrensho (log)

[melonpan]

ive never heard of the shaken doshirak. i think its a how you say....

hmm. i cant come up with the word. i think the word is novelty. its a novelty thing.

[ZenKimchi]

ive never heard of the shaken doshirak.  i think its a how you say....

hmm.  i cant come up with the word.  i think the word is novelty.  its a novelty thing.

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Yeah, novelty. Whimsical trend. Like an upscale peanut butter and jelly restaurant in New York. They're fun. Co-worker told me he had one last night with dinner.

[ZenKimchi]

ZenKimchi, welcome to eGullet!!

Thank you for those very informative posts and pictures, I have learned a lot.

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Thanks! I've been lurking for a while. Thought I'd join in.

[melonpan]

...and I honestly haven't come across those types outside of dunkass (read: Japanese influenced) restaurants.  The dosirak "shakers" I was introduced to by Koreans, and the background information on the blog were basically verbatim what they told me.

just an additional note. the "dunkass" restaurant is kind of considered japanese. its taken from the japanese tonkatsu. the way koreans would spell it would be don-ggaseu. i think there are donggasseu places and there are also more broader places called 'gyeong-yang-shik jip' or literally 'light western place', where you would find the koreanised ideal of western foods which include spaghetti, curries, hambak steak and tonkatsu type dishes...

i kind of like the name dunkass though. it would also be an appropriate name for a doughnut shop no?

[melonpan]

Thanks!  I've been lurking for a while.  Thought I'd join in.

welcome! Edited April 20, 2006 by melonpan (log)

[jschyun]

haha, cute pics Zenkimchi. I like the one with the boy who is holding trainer chopsticks.

Well I guess you learn something every day.

[Tae.Lee]

i laughed at that too !

this is the firat time i've ever heard of a dosirak that needs to be shaken..

my grandma called them bento, but then she grew up during the japanese occupation.. usually a box of foods to take on picnics, wrapped and secured in a square of material [to keep it hot [if needed] or the lid on so nothing spilt].

[torakris]

...and I honestly haven't come across those types outside of dunkass (read: Japanese influenced) restaurants.  The dosirak "shakers" I was introduced to by Koreans, and the background information on the blog were basically verbatim what they told me.

just an additional note. the "dunkass" restaurant is kind of considered japanese. its taken from the japanese tonkatsu. the way koreans would spell it would be don-ggaseu. i think there are donggasseu places and there are also more broader places called 'gyeong-yang-shik jip' or literally 'light western place', where you would find the koreanised ideal of western foods which include spaghetti, curries, hambak steak and tonkatsu type dishes...

i kind of like the name dunkass though. it would also be an appropriate name for a doughnut shop no?

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Dunkass

Thank you for explaining this....

I thought it was some new slang word to describe a restaurant (or other cool place ). I have been out of the US for so long that there are quite a few new words that take me by surprise.