Dosirak

[ronnie_suburban]

Welcome, ZenKimchi, to the eGS! Great to have you with us. Thanks for chiming in.

=R=

[ZenKimchi]

Was with a Korean friend last night, and I brought up the "shake 'em" dosirak topic. She said that they were a trend that started two or three years ago. She confirmed what my girlfriend and a co-worker told me. The shake 'ems were the type that kids brought in their backpacks in the 1970s and 1980s. They were nice and neat when packed but got shaken in the kids' backpacks. Sometimes the kids would shake them just for fun.

[sanrensho]

They were nice and neat when packed but got shaken in the kids' backpacks.  Sometimes the kids would shake them just for fun.

* THUMP--Sound of Korean mother somewhere having a heart attack and hitting the floor...*

[torakris]

They were nice and neat when packed but got shaken in the kids' backpacks.  Sometimes the kids would shake them just for fun.

* THUMP--Sound of Korean mother somewhere having a heart attack and hitting the floor...*

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As a manager I should know better than to make a post with only emoticons, but this comment was just too funny. As a mother who makes bento lunches weekly I can really relate.

[ZenKimchi]

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.

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Yeah, it escaped me that I was phonetically spelling how westerners pronounce it. Frequently with literally switching hangeul (Korean script) into Roman letters, the words get so big and clunky they're hard to pronounce. So I just write "dunkass" and leave out the apothesis (extra ending vowel). I read somewhere that it came to Japan through contact with Germany, which makes sense. I make schnitzel all the time with dunkass cutlets from the local butcher.

[Soup]

It's amazing what gets your memories going. Kristin's topic on bento and this topic brought back memories of when I was very young and taking doshirak my grandma use to pack. I just remembered that I use to peak and sneak bits of food during class. I had a hard time waiting for food. My container was oval brass container with a tight fitting top and a number of compartments.

I am no expert on this but I remember that everything was neatly put into their compartment. As for Kimbap it was never prepared for my lunch. However, for family outings Kimbap was made and it still is today. I have been told by couple of very old korean gentlemen that they refuse to eat kimbap. They said that they believe that banchan and rice to be touching was a an indication of lower class food. Has anyone heard this? My parents reactions was that they were old and we should humor them.

I also remember disposible doshirak boxes (before the days of widely available plastic in korea) that were made of thin wood peices. It pretty hard to discribe but they were made of this really light wood which you'd use and throw away.

[chefzadi]

My daughter's dosirak, the closed box has two compartments for banchan.

My wife and her brothers remember the dosirak with the compartments and everything stayed separate. Her brothers say the teachers actually checked dosiraks before the kids ate, no shaking. I'm talking early to mid 70's in Seoul.

[chefzadi]

They said that they believe that banchan and rice to be touching was a an indication of lower class food. Has anyone heard this?

I missed this part. Yes, I've heard of this from my wife's parents, except in dishes where they are supposed to be touching like bibimbap. T

hey're not that old though. LOL. They are just very strict about how Korean food is presented and eaten.

EDIT

But not the part about refusing to eat kimbap, that's not lower class food by anyone's standards, not that I know of.

Edited April 22, 2006 by chefzadi (log)

[SheenaGreena]

lower class? I didn't know this. I remember my mom yelling at me everytime I accidently dropped rice in the banchan during meals. I hear holding chopsticks and your spoon in the same hand is really rude but I do it ALL the time.

My excuse is that i'm only half korean. Thats why I dont know much on the dosirak!

[torakris]

Just a note to let everyone know I split the talk of rice in the soup into it's own thread because I thought it was an interesting topic as well and don't want to to get lost.

Rice in the soup bowl thread