Sweet treat from sinister Netflix series 'Squid Game' a hit at Montreal shop
A sugar candy featured in the wildly popular Netflix series Squid Game is causing a stir in Montreal.
Robert Kim sells Korean fare at his St-Henri shop Claude & Claudette Depanneur. Two weeks ago, he started selling dalgona, a candy featured in the series.
The treat comes with its own built-in game: scratch out the inner shape from the brittle sugar disk without snapping it.
Kim remembers playing dalgona as a kid.
“Me and my classmates, we went for it, and played this game and we enjoyed it,” he said.
The after-school treat of his youth is now being devoured by neighbourhood kids. Though of course, the stakes aren’t quite as high as they are in the sinister series from South Korea that’s taking the world by storm.
This undated photo released by Netflix shows a scene of contestants vying to win the Dalgona Korean candy challenge in a scene from "Squid Game." (Youngkyu Park/Netflix via AP)
This undated photo released by Netflix shows a scene of contestants vying to win the Dalgona Korean candy challenge in a scene from "Squid Game." (Youngkyu Park/Netflix via AP)
“When we trim exactly the perfect shape, we get some free dalgona, that's the whole game about it. Without the death, no blood, nothing like that. Just fun,” said Kim.
'Squid Game' is the latest Korean pop culture craze that's made waves around the world. Experts say the show's popularity indicates blossoming North American interest in international content.
Young Montrealers play with their dalgona cookies -- a common South Korean snack popularized around the world by smash-hit series "Squid Game." (Christine Long, CTV News)
Young Montrealers play with their dalgona cookies -- a common South Korean snack popularized around the world by smash-hit series "Squid Game." (Christine Long, CTV News)
“'Squid Game' is an unique phenomenon, but it will lead to more Canadians choosing to get their entertainment outside of Hollywood and Canada – outside of the west, let’s say. It’s a sign of what’s to come,” said University of Toronto Korean studies professor Michelle Cho.
The show's streaming host Netflix wrote to social media this week that the show had garnered 111 million viewers, making it the largest series launch in the platform's history.
The nine-episode thriller, released on Sept. 17, follows protagonist Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) -- a man in serious debt to a local gang. He and hundreds of others enroll in a series of children's games for cash prizes. However, losers of those games face deadly consequences.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.