Netflix’s Squid Game increases Korean cuisine popularity
Food, News

Netflix’s Squid Game increases Korean cuisine popularity

Viewers of the successful South Korean Netflix show “Squid Game” have become interested in Korean food, resulting in profit for Toronto’s Korean restaurants.

Toronto café and bakery, Savorology Artisan Bakery, have especially profited from Squid Game through selling some of the food presented on the show. 

The bakery is bringing Squid Game fans into their shop by selling dalgona candy, which is a Korean honeycomb toffee that can be molded into several shapes.  

According to a Oct. 8, Instagram post from the bakery’s account, “You can get a free dalgona candy with any purchase at Savorology. One bill of one person can get one candy.”

Forget Me Not Café located in Toronto, is also partaking in the Squid Game hype by selling dalgona lattes, which is a combination of double espresso, sweet cream and dalgona candy, according to their Instagram.

Ronnel Estrada, a huge supporter of Squid Game believes that the show increased his interest in Korean food.

“After watching Squid Game, one dish that stood out to me was the rice dish,” says Estrada. “Seeing how the dish was presented on the show and how the characters enjoyed every bite of it convinced me to go to my local Korean restaurant to try the dish.”

The show also introduced him to dalgona candy, and it even convinced him to attempt to make the candy himself. 

“I have tried making dalgona candy, but every time I attempted to get the proper colour or texture, I always fail,” says Estrada. 

Not only have cafes profited off Squid Game, but a Thornhill, Ont. escape room is also participating in the excitement around the show. 

The event, hosted by 4FunToronto, is a Squid Game themed “action escape room” where multiple environments are created to allow members to participate in similar challenges to the show.

Justin, an event coordinator from 4FunToronto says, “As the show is number one in the world right now, we feel that it left a lot of people saying, ‘I wish I could do that!’ Our company enjoys putting on amazing experiences for people and we are glad people can now enjoy this in real life.”

Dalgona latte at Forget Me Not cafe

Video made by Vale Vasquez/RSJ.

November 7, 2021

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jpenarroyo@ryerson.ca