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Dotorimuk is a Korean side dish made from something approximating acorn Jell-o®️. Somewhere along the way, some guy or girl with banging pangs of hunger discovered if you could soak the living daylights out of acorns, you can eat ‘em. It’s ubiquitous here, but I don’t think there’s too much clamor for it. It’s kind of like how we used to say, “Well, there’s the green beans,” acknowledging the arrival of a visitor whose presence we neither dreaded nor enjoyed, but expected.
See, dotorimuk has very little flavor, so it’s kind of a rest area on the plate because Korean food, in general, is quite pungent (holding my tongue a bit here) with rather strong flavors of hot pepper, sesame oil and garlic. (And anything that can be fermented WILL be fermented.) Dotorimuk is usually eaten with something spicy spooned on top, or mixed among stuff.
Dotorimuk is not my can of Schlitz, but it DID come to be my nickname among the Korean graduate students I helped with their English writing in Oklahoma. Why? It was a play on my first name. It was pretty easy to go from A to B.
When I moved to Korea, President Moon’s dog and I shared first names. I started going by my middle name, Andrew.
I think I want to be Andrew here on Ricochet, from now on. Matter o’ fact, I don’t even EAT dotorimuk.
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Native Americans that the process worked well if the soaking liquid was urine. Hence, they buried the acorns in a pit which was used as a public urinal for about six months.
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Native Americans made use of acorns as well. After you've leeched out the tannin (which makes acorn meats bitter) you can grind them up into meal. Add some dried meat and dried berries ground into powder plus a little fat and you have pemmican, which keeps forever.
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When Socrates mentions that the people in the good little city will have acorns for dessert, Adeimantus ain't happy. We're not talking about a city for pigs here! These people need to eat the pigs, not live like them! And they need pastries! And hookers! Let's have a real city, Socrates!
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Thanks for the explanation - interesting nickname. It took me a moment to realize that Andrew wasn't disparaging you by the green beans comparison.
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I spent three years (73-75) stationed in South Korea while in the Army. I recognize dotorimuk, but never partook. I did develop an affinity for some Korean food that I enjoy to this day if I can find a Korean restaurant that still prepares more traditional Korea fare like bulgogi and pork ribs with fermented kimchi and other side dishes called banchan.
Street vendors sold fried dumplings called mandu, containing pork (we hoped) and vegetables. These were deep fried so in theory anything that might make us ill was cooked to death. I never got ill from any food I ate there. Mandu was usually served up in paper cones made from discarded army documents, often containing American soldier's names, units and social security numbers. This was long before identity theft.
However, there were things I avoided. Makgeolli is an alcoholic beverage made from rice that looked like skim milk and left many an American GIs stumbling and puking their way back to base. The only alcohol I drank much of was beer and I could see through that.
Dried squid was everywhere vendors sold food, hung in bundles and it resembled beef jerky in texture. The smell was enough for me to stay away. In the fish markets live squid was sold and eaten. It is still popular today in Korea.
Beondegi, Korean silk worm larvae, was also popular with Koreans and more adventurous or drunk GIs. I don't eat bugs.
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