Story and photos by M.R. Bradie
Interpretation/Translation by Cha Young-mi
Back in North America, the mention of bootlegging, brings
to mind startling images of tommy-gun toting gangsters guarding bath
tubs full of gin and cross-eyed, inbred hillbillies double-barrel-shotgun
blasting federal agents who come to shut down backwoods moonshine stills.
So when I read of Beat writer Scott Morley's mother-in-law cooking up
her own special mix of my favorite traditional drink, dongdongju, in
her Korean kitchen, I knew I had to check it out. His mother-in-law,
Joo Soon-jah and the Morleys welcomed me into their home for two nights.
On the first night, I left the tape recorder off and just partied hard.
Along with a crew of her regular customers, the thirstiest halmonies
and harabogies in the neighborhood, we drained a couple pots of the
sweet stuff and had our own down-home Korean style pongchak dance party
in the living room. Come the next day I had a 'ding-dong' headache to
prove it.
For my next visit I exercised a little more restraint and got the facts
down on tape while watching her make a fresh batch of the 'merchandise'.
What I found was not a criminal underworld operation, but a quaint cottage
enterprise; sort of like a neighbor
M: Can you tell me the difference between dongdongju
and makkoli?
S: Makkoli is made of rice brewed and strained with
fermented wheat. Dongdongju is made of sticky rice, which is floating
in it. So you strain only the fermented wheat. They both have similar
taste but are different.
M: And which one is stronger?
S: Almost the same, but it depends on how you make
it.
M: Let's talk a little bit about the background. So
how long have you been making dongdongju in your house?
S: It's been a long time. We started to make it since
this house was built in 1975, and stopped for 10 years.
M: And why did you make dongdongju in the house?
S: I have a little store in my house. It makes a good
profit and tastes good.
M: So could you briefly tell me the ingredients of
the dongdongju and the process by which you make it?
S: I need cooked sticky rice, fermented wheat, rice
sugar syrup, brown sugar and yeast to make it. First of all, put the
fermented wheat in the water and let it soak for one day. And put the
brown sugar, rice sugar syrup, yeast, cooked sticky rice and the water
from the strained fermented wheat all together in a ceramic jar.
M: And how long does it take to become alcohol?
S: It takes four days.
M: Can you control the strength of the alcohol? Can
you make it stronger or weaker?
S: Yes, I can control it.
M: How can you control it?
S: It gets really strong when it's done. If I want
it weaker, I mix it with sugar syrup water.
M: Are there any secret ingredients?
S: Not really.
M: How did you learn to make dongdongju? Who taught
you?
S: A long time ago, I learned it from my mother. My
father loved to drink alcohol. I didn't really learn how to make it.
I just watched and remembered. Then years later I started to make it.
M: Is making it at home illegal?
S: Around 1980, rice was scarce in Korea, so it was
illegal.
M: Don't worry, the police won't read this.
S: (Laughs) Not the police, but the tax office came
here, took my dongdongju, and I was fined.
M: So you were busted. What year?
S: In 1980.
M: Really? Tell me the whole story. That's very interesting.
How did the tax office know that you were making alcohol?
S: By that time, the business here was busy, so many
neighbors came to drink. My neighboring store, a competitor, informed
the tax office.
M: The rat! What was the fine? How much?
S: I can't remember exactly, about one hundred thousand
won. Back then that was really big money.
M: Did you ever meet the person who told the tax office?
Did you have revenge?
S: No, I don't do that kind of thing.
M: So, in America, we call that bootlegging when you
make alcohol at home, and it's highly illegal. Is there a word in Korean
for someone who makes illegal alcohol at home?
S: No, we don't have any special word.
M: Do a lot of people make their own alcohol in Korea?
M: What besides dongdongju, what other alcohols do
people in Korea make?
S: Mostly fruit liquor. Long ago, people distilled
Andong soju from makkoli. These days, they use soju to make fruit liquor
such as plum, peach, and grape.
M: Is dongdongju good for people's health?
S: I am not sure if it's good for health or not, those
people who drink everyday say one or two cups are good.
M: Why is it good?
S: Because it's natural.
M: What benefit does it have for the person who drinks
two cups a day?
S: How do I know? Maybe it takes stress away from the
people.
M: Where is the best dongdongju in Korea in your experience?
S: I can't say which one is best. But dongdongju in
the tourist spots gives you headaches and hangovers.
M: Why? What is the difference between tourist spot
dongdongju and yours?
S: People come here to drink it regularly because they
know I am a clever dongdongju maker. So I have to make it in a high-quality
homemade style.
M: What foods go best with dongdongju?
S: Tofu with kimchi, muk (acorn jelly), pajeon (onion
pancake) and kongnamul (bean sprout soup).
M: What is the history of dongdongju? How long have
Korean people been drinking it?
S: I don't know exactly, when my mom made the liquor,
it was just makkoli, not dongdongju. It's been around a long time.
M: What is the oldest traditional alcohol? Is makkoli
older than soju?
S: Makkoli is the oldest Korean traditional alcohol.
M: Can you tell me any old stories about makkoli? Like
about Yangban (aristocrats from Korea's dynastic period) or whoever
drank makkoli many years ago.
S: Makkoli is people's alcohol. People drink it while
working. Not the wealthy people, just the normal people (seomin).
M: So what did the yangban drink?
S: They drank chungju, fermented rice wine from makkoli.
They used small cups like shot glasses. It's like Japanese sake.
M: Chungju, oh! Like chungha?
S: No, chungha is chemical alcohol, chungju is a natural
one.
M: Did you drink makkoli when you were a teenager?
S: I started to drink it after I was 20. There was
always makkoli in my house because my father liked it, so it was always
prepared at home. Before the rice and wheat are strained, the first
alcohol, chungju is very strong.
M: It was always there, so you would drink it. Do you
have any stories from when you were young, interesting experiences?
S: I drank the chungju, got drunk and slept. I couldn't
wake up even when mom tried so hard to wake me. We put a long shaped
basket in the makkoli jar. In a few days, the chungju, the strongest
liquor is made from makkoli. It's really strong.
M: So it just made you go to sleep?
S: It's sweet before makkoli is fermented, so I used
a straw to sip the sweet stuff.
M: What is the best music to listen to when you're
drinking makkoli?
S: Pongchak is the best.
M: Who is your favorite pongchak singer?
S: Lee Mi-jah, and who's that fat guy? Uh...yun-chul.
M: And what is the best time to drink dongdongju?
S: People drink it on a wedding day and on a memorial
service day.
M: Somebody told me they like to drink it on a rainy
day. Have you heard of that?
S: It depends on their feeling.
M: Hmm, the personality. Did you ever see someone addicted
to dongdongju?
S: Not around here. They just drink one or two cups
or one pot.
M: They don't drink too much like me when I was here
the other night? How much does one pot cost at your place?
S: Four thousand won.
M: Four thousand for one pot? Wow, that's cheap!
S: Yes, it's cheaper here.
M: How much does it cost to make one jar?
S: I never really counted. The price of sticky rice
went up, but we still have the same price since 1994.
M: Why?
S: This is the place where common people come. I don't
really care about gain and loss.
M: Who are most of the customers? Tell me about the
customers.
S: Older guys who come here every morning, they hardly
miss any time to come.
M: They come here every morning?
S: Yes, they come here at eight am to drink dongdongju
after their early morning walk.
M: So they drink a few cups in the morning. Are they
drunken after that?
S: They don't drink until they get drunk, just a reasonable
amount in the morning.
M: Do you have any funny stories about people who come
here and drink?
S: About Detective Kim. One of the old people who come
here every morning, his name is Detective Kim. We call him that because
he retired from the police. He has bad hearing and uses a hearing aid.
Whenever I talk to him, I have to scream at him. I have to talk very
loud every morning.
M: Can you tell me any Korean jokes?
S: Ok. Here's a quiz. What's the word for mandu (the
food) in Nepal?
M: I don't know, what is it called?
S: Kat-mandu!
M: (nervous laughter) Do you know anymore?
S: I have so many jokes, but I can't think of them
now. Oh, I remember! One of the old guys who come here every morning
was drinking dongdongju with his friends. His wife called and asked
if he was still here. He whispered at me to tell his wife that he's
gone. But I told her, "he told me to tell you that he's gone."
Then everybody laughed.
M: I see, so he got caught in a lie. What is the most dongdongju
you ever saw somebody drink? What is the most incredible amount?
S: Four people drank six pots of it in four hours.
M: Wow, that's a lot! What did they do after they drank
that? Did they go to sleep or fall down?
S: Everybody was drunk and could barely walk and I
slept.
M: Can you tell me a little bit about the bus tour
that you do? The disco dancing bus tour? I am really curious about that.
S: We really have fun on the pyeon tour. I'm the MC
with a microphone. I choose the person to sing one by one and I collect
the tip money for the bus driver.
M: Is it a kind of Norae bus?
S: There is a karaoke machine on the bus.
M: How do people dance on the bus if there are so many
seats?
S: They can dance in the aisle. When we get off the
bus at the destination, we rent a room big enough for everyone to dance
Jitterbug or and Tango inside.
M: Do people drink on the bus? What do they drink?
S: We drink beer and soju.
M: What is the name for that style of bus party?
S: We call it Gwangwangcha, which means tourist car.
M: Is there a name for the style of dancing that they
do when they drink dongdongju?
S: It's called makch'um, which means careless dancing.
M: Do you think dongdongju could be popular in another
country?
S: I don't know but I guess people wouldn't like to
drink sweet-tasting liquor there.
M: Are there different flavors of dongdongju in Korea,
or is there only one style?
S: Sometimes the taste is sour when you don't make
it right.
M: Are there any fruit flavors of dongdongju like banana
or strawberry dongdongju?
S: Before, they put ginseng, jujube and pine leaf in
it.
M: Why do Koreans drink so much alcohol?
S: It depends on each person.
M: Why is alcohol so popular in Korea?
S: People who drink alcohol always have a reason. When
they are happy, sad, sick, angry and so on, they just drink. Any kind
of feeling can make them drink I guess.