[New Word Dictionary] Dolbapdolbap - Three Meals a Day at Home

Dolbapdolbap is an abbreviation of "turn around and eat, turn around and eat," reflecting the situation of housewives spending a lot of time preparing meals as their children stay home longer due to the impact of COVID-19. Illustration by Seongsu Oh

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Park Jiyoung (alias), a housewife living in Hong Eun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, was shocked when she saw the payment amount while grocery shopping. She confirmed the ‘harshly’ rising food prices compared to a few months ago through the receipt. Park said, “My two children, an elementary school student and a middle school student, are on vacation and stay at home, and my husband is working from home every other day, so after preparing three meals a day, I don’t know how the day has passed.” “The price of eggs has skyrocketed, rice prices have also risen, and pork belly has become so expensive that my spending on food has increased too much, which worries me.” Last summer, rice production decreased due to the rainy season and typhoons, while the demand for home-cooked meals increased as people stayed home longer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a rise in rice prices, according to analysis. The government has released about 70,000 tons of public stockpiled rice to stabilize rice supply and demand. The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) also caused chicken and egg prices to rise. In particular, eggs became a “golden egg” as prices rose by 23%, and some sellers limited sales to one carton per person. The government announced it would exempt tariffs on 50,000 tons of eggs until June.

“Dolbapdolbap” is a shortened expression of “turn around and eat, turn around and eat,” reflecting the situation of housewives spending a lot of time preparing meals as children stay home longer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On online mom cafes, the situation of dolbapdolbap is described as a “three meals a day war” every day. Complaints that the menu keeps repeating and the proportion of delivery food is increasing are frequently seen. With soaring food prices, some calculate that ready-made meals are more economical, and reviews saying that packaging waste piles up due to online shopping every other day have become a daily routine. According to a “COVID-19 Public Perception” survey published by Professor Yoo Myungsun’s team at Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health in October last year, full-time housewives scored 3.71 in COVID-19 stress experience analysis by occupation, ranking first ahead of students and self-employed workers. It is time for family members to voluntarily share household chores to support mothers exhausted by dolbapdolbap.

Example

A: The bus is here, aren’t you going to get on?
B: Yeah, I’m going to the snack bar to get some takeout.
A: Suddenly snack bar? Did you crave tteokbokki or something?
B: That and also, my mom looks tired from cooking all day, so I want her to rest for dinner. Preparing a meal is no easy task.
A: Right. There’s a saying that dolbapdolbap drives you crazy. I should get takeout too!

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