As social distancing is continuously recommended due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases, hobbies that people can do alone at home are on the rise. These include activities like coloring books, “Do It Yourself ” (DIY), baking, and so on. Among many different hobbies, the reporter tried some and will share reviews of them. Let us dive into the interesting pastimes and compare them. Which one is the best?

Cooking_Dalgona Coffee

Dalgona Coffee is a beverage that people make by whisking powdered coffee, sugar, and water and putting it in milk. The name came from Dalgona (honeycomb toffee), which is a nostalgic snack from childhood in Korea. Ingredients are different but these two look very similar.

• Cost-wise★★★★★

Dalgona Coffee only requires powdered coffee, sugar, water, and milk which are the ingredients people almost always have at home. The reporter did not spend any money to make one.

• Difficulty★★★★☆

The recipe is quite short and easy. All you need to do is to get a bowl, pour powdered coffee, sugar, and hot water in a proportion of 1:1:1 and whisk it until it becomes silky and creamy. Well whipped Dalgona cream will have a beige color. After pouring the cream on a cup of milk, Dalgona Coffee is ready. However, the problem is that you need to stir thousands of times to make the cream. Arms and wrists may hurt after making Dalgona Coffee.

• Effectiveness★☆☆☆☆

Like mentioned before, hurting your arms and wrists for a cup of coffee does not sound very good. The time consumed is about 10 minutes in total. The taste, however, was similar to regular coffee milk. If you want to drink coffee, the reporter recommends buying it instead.

Tip

If you have an electric hand mixer, it takes less time and is way easier to make. Dalgona cream is made in less than a minute. In fact, according to one internet shopping mall, the number of hand mixers sold increased by 142 percent after the Dalgona Coffee boom.

Gardening_Bean Sprouts

Gardening, which has had a steady rise in popularity, became even more trendy. Sprout cultivators and vegetable seeds sales were up by 25 percent and 17 percent respectively. In particular, people grew bean sprouts a lot because they are easy to grow.

• Cost-wise★★★★☆

Bean sprouts kit costs around 10,000 won. If you use beans and pots at home, there is nothing to spend.

• Difficulty★☆☆☆☆

Soaked in water for one day, beans are ready to be put in a pot. After putting them in a pot, you just have to pour water every day for a week. Bean sprouts grow well even in harsh conditions.

• Effectiveness★★★☆☆

It is very meaningful to have bean sprouts grown on a table. However, the kit is quite expensive considering the amount it grows. In addition, if you are growing them just to eat, it is not effective to wait a week to finally use them in cooking.

Art_P4 Painting

P4 painting is a type of DIY painting where you color in the numbers with the designated colors. P4 stands for the four words that start with P: Purity, Palm, Puzzle, and Painting. Purely, you paint puzzle-like sketch in your palm. You can get the painting kit online or in stores like Artbox. Paints and brushes come with the kit.

• Cost-wise★★★★☆

Price differs depending on the size of the painting. Considering the cost of all the paints and brushes you need to buy, the prices of kits seem reasonable. The reporter spent 8,900 won for 25 × 25 size kit.

• Difficulty★★★★★

It may be different by the painting you select, but it is very difficult to focus not to cross the border while painting with a brush. If you are not a great artist, it might be too hard to complete it neatly.

• Effectiveness★★★★☆

Even though P4 painting is hard, it is really satisfying when completed. Also, the completed piece can be used as a decoration in your room.

Tip

The instruction says you should paint in numerical order, but the reporter recommends painting light colors first because if you mess up, you can paint darker colors over it.

Assembly_Miniature

Another type of DIY called assembly is trending after COVID-19. DIY assembly kits
are easy to find everywhere. The reporter tried assembling miniature furniture.

• Cost-wise★★☆☆☆

The kit that the reporter bought was sold in a DAISO store and was only 5,000 won. However, if you want a higher quality, the price of miniature kits can go much higher.

• Difficulty ★★★☆☆

Taking pieces off and trying to match where pieces go were a little bit difficult. The package says it is for children but it seems too difficult for them.

• Effectiveness ★★☆☆☆

Completed miniatures take up spaces. If you do not play with them, miniatures have no uses other than decoration. The reporter gave them to younger cousins.

Tip

Many miniatures are made of wood. When you take the pieces off, make sure you do not get hurt by splinters. If there are splinters on the pieces, use a knife to cut them to prevent injuries beforehand.

Among these various hobbies, why do you not pick your favorite and try it? Trying new, interesting things will let the time fly by. Although staying at home may feel forced and uncomfortable, think positively. Take this as an opportunity to start a new hobby.