[Joseonggwan's Global Humanities Journey] Squid, Sepia Nero, Ojeok Eomuk Industry

A New Year's gathering was held at a famous gallery restaurant in Sinmunno, Seoul. At this meeting attended by eight people, the conversation revolved around art until the middle of the meal. This was probably because they had received an explanation about the Korean painting exhibition ‘Susudumdum Jeon(展)’ from the gallery curator before dining.

The topic eventually shifted to the COVID-19 pandemic period. One of the attendees said they had contracted COVID-19 during the early days when confirmed cases were treated like serious criminals. This was at a time when movements were meticulously tracked by the hour. He vividly shared a heartbreaking story that could not be heard without tears, but the attendees burst into laughter. I also laughed so hard that my belly hurt while eating squid ink risotto.

It feels like a distant story now. Let’s go back to the spring of 2020, when COVID-19 was rampant. The media continuously published special articles on the history of humanity’s fight against infectious diseases. Albert Camus’s novel ‘The Plague’ suddenly became a bestseller.

The city most frequently mentioned at that time was Venice, Italy. Venice was struck by the Black Death 14 times between 1456 and 1528. The reason Venice was vulnerable to epidemics is well known. Venice is the gateway through which Eastern and Mediterranean goods enter the European continent. Germs travel with people and goods. Because many people and goods passed through Venice, epidemics frequently broke out.

When returning from overseas travel and arriving at Incheon Airport, the first checkpoint is the quarantine area. A mat sprayed with disinfectant is placed there. This is to sterilize any germs that might have stuck to the soles of travelers’ shoes. The word ‘quarantine,’ meaning disease prevention, originated from Venice. That’s why stepping firmly on this mat causes moisture to rise slightly.

Venetians, having frequently suffered from the Black Death, developed their own survival methods. ‘Quarantine’ means thoroughly enforcing disease prevention for 40 days whenever the plague struck.

The repeated outbreaks of the Black Death left various cultural imprints on Venetian daily life like tattoos. First, there is the buchette. These are wine holes. Life goes on even during epidemics. People who want to drink wine must buy it. How to sell wine while avoiding face-to-face contact with customers? The method was to make a rectangular hole about 20cm by 30cm in the exterior wall of a building and sell wine through it. That is the buchette.

A famous Venetian spaghetti dish is ‘Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia.’ ‘Nero di Seppia’ means ‘squid ink’ in Italian. ‘Nero di Seppia’ was widely used by Venetians as a preventive medicine against epidemics. There is also risotto made with ‘Nero di Seppia.’ It has been revealed that squid ink contains taurine, which is good for health. Squid ink is used not only in spaghetti and risotto but also in gimbap.

The Venice Carnival is world-famous. The Venice Carnival also bears traces of the Black Death. The plague doctor’s mask, called Medico della peste, is a beaked mask. The mask worn by plague doctors, resembling a gas mask, was shaped like a bird’s beak. The ‘Medico della peste’ has long been a popular costume for Halloween in Korea as well.

In the Joseon Dynasty, squid was called Ojeokeo (烏賊魚). Why was the character for crow (烏) included in the name of a seafood? One might guess that the name was created because the black ink squids release when threatened by predators resembles the color of a crow.

Jeong Yak-jeon, the elder brother of Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, was exiled to Heuksando Island. During that time, Jeong Yak-jeon wrote Korea’s first fish encyclopedia, ‘Jasan Eobo (玆山魚譜).’ Director Lee Joon-ik also made a film with the same title. ‘Jasan Eobo’ records one theory about the origin of the name Ojeokeo.

The theory is that it originated from the squid’s habit of preying on crows. When a squid floats to the surface of the sea pretending to be dead, crows come to eat it. Waiting for that moment, the squid wraps its legs around the crow and drags it underwater to eat it. Although completely unfounded, this story seemed to have been widely believed by coastal people during the Joseon era.

The phrase Ojeokeo Mukgye (烏賊魚 默契) comes from squid ink. It refers to an unreliable promise. Squid ink is sometimes used as ink to write letters. At first, it looks no different from ink made by grinding ink sticks. However, over time, squid ink evaporates and disappears. No matter how important the promise, if it is not documented, it loses its binding power.

The Joseon-era practical scholar Lee Su-gwang mentioned Ojeokeo Mukgye in his book ‘Jibong Yuseol.’ ‘Letters written with squid ink disappear after a year, leaving blank paper. Deceitful people use this to trick others.’

Two summers ago, I was invited with members of the Genius Table to the Yukum Wadang Museum in Buam-dong, Seoul. The Yukum Wadang Museum is named after the surnames of Yoo Chang-jong, former head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Narcotics Division, and Geum Ki-sook, former professor at Hongik University. Director Yoo, fascinated by roof tiles since his time as a prosecutor, collected and researched tiles and became recognized as Korea’s top expert on wadang (decorative roof tiles). The wadang he collected were donated to the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan.

After touring the museum, the couple guided us to an Italian restaurant near their home. It was a cozy and pretty restaurant overlooking Jahamun-ro. While looking at the menu and ordering, I casually chose squid ink pasta. I usually order vongole pasta when visiting an Italian restaurant for the first time, but for some reason, I was drawn to squid ink pasta that day.

During the meal, the conversation inevitably turned to wadang. The discussion was serious yet fun and pleasant. Perhaps because I was so engrossed in the conversation, I accidentally dropped a few strands of pasta. The front of my white shirt was stained black. The conversation froze. The group’s eyes focused on the ink stain on my shirt. I was embarrassed. I tried to wipe the ink off with a damp napkin right there. I felt pathetic. I pretended to be calm, fearing that making a fuss would ruin the dining atmosphere. The conversation resumed.

About 40 minutes later, I glanced at my shirt absentmindedly. To my surprise, the ink had almost disappeared, leaving only faint traces. My eyes widened. How could this be! The others were amazed too. Unless someone looked closely and seriously, it was hard to tell that the shirt had been stained with black ink. The ink disappeared in less than an hour!

At that moment, five words flashed through my mind. A phrase I once jotted down in my notebook while reading a newspaper: Ojeokeo Mukgye. Ah, so that’s where the phrase comes from.

“There is an old saying called Ojeokeo Mukgye, and it really is true.”

I smiled and shared the story behind Ojeokeo Mukgye. The group witnessed the unbelievable event on my shirt and truly felt the meaning of Ojeokeo Mukgye.

I like everything made from squid. My favorite is boiled squid dipped in chojang (spicy vinegar sauce) eaten as a side dish with rice. When I was young, I enjoyed squid radish soup. Squid, once so common, is now as precious as gold. Still, I want to try squid radish soup before winter ends.

Author Seong-gwan Cho · Genius researcher

Operator of ‘Genius Table,’ former editor-in-chief of Weekly Chosun

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