KoreaToday Localization Key to Food Globalization
Kim Hyun-cheol
Staff Reporter
Korea has launched a globalization initiative for Korean food, hansik, aimed at making it as accessible as Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese food.
To be successful, the first step is to tap the variety and depth of it and help it appeal to taste buds of people around the world, according to Edward Kwon, a renowned chef of Korean food. "It is our mission to change, adapt and localize it so as to offer a greater global appeal," Kwon said, adding that this doesn't mean a change of core culinary values.
Kwon is the head chef at Burj Al Arab Hotel, a world-renowned luxury "seven star" hotel in Dubai. The 39-year-old cook leads some 420 staff members in the main kitchen, including over 250 other chefs from some 30 different countries, where everything boasts the highest standard, from the smallest decoration to the dishes served.
Most recently, Kwon was stellar in taking charge of the dinner selection on "Korean Night," hosted by local entrepreneurs during the Davos Forum last month in Switzerland.
As a head chef, he arranged a course of dishes, Korean-based but with a modern twist, and earned enthusiastic responses from global notables who participated in the event.
The dishes served included a cold-plate recreation of samgyetang, a traditional Korean chicken and ginseng soup, a mini-sized hamburger with kimchi sauce and empanada using dakgalbi, a Korean-style spicy chicken barbecue.
There are various points of view and approaches in promoting Korean food. Some say to stick to authenticity while others say it should ``crossover'' more. Kwon's take leans toward the latter approach ― that Korean cuisine needs to make more amends.
In other words, an "in-your-face" attitude will go nowhere when it comes to food promotion.
"Take McDonald's. It's a hamburger franchise but launches localized items in every country it taps into. I think that's partly the reason that the brand appealed to global citizens so quickly in a short period of time," he said.
Kwon says he's aware of different food marketing opinions. Still, he strongly believes it's a more efficient and helpful way to quickly popularize Korean food the world over, with everything changing so quickly.
Just changing a few key dishes will do for the recognition of Korea's representative dishes.
"They say Japanese food is now globalized, but at a second glance, only a few dishes are," Kwon said. "The same goes for Italian food. Among ordinary people, what's familiar about it beyond pizza and pasta?"
His experience coping with customers of various nationalities and cultural backgrounds for nearly a decade led to his advocacy of "culinary recreation." Before his current job, Kwon worked at various hotels worldwide, including the Ritz Carlton Hotels in Seoul and San Francisco, Sheraton Grand Hotel in Tianjin, China, and the Fairmont Dubai Hotel.
In his view, some key aspects of Korean food are a double-edged sword with foreigners.
While its virtue as a healthy-concept cuisine is useful these days, amid the global trend in pursuit of organic and healthy lifestyles, most of its representative fermented dishes make it hard to turn a flurry of foreigners into hansik guzzlers, Kwon says. Also, lots of dishes depend on spices, rather than ingredients' original flavors, to standardize them.
"Which is why I say Korean food needs some rearrangement as a whole," he said.
The conception of "overhauling" applies to overseas Korean restaurants as well. As he sees it, most of their servings are paltry and their management ineffective. Unfortunately, many Korean restaurants overseas are focused on luring compatriot customers rather than attracting new ones.
Business-wise, serving etiquette also leaves something to be desired. Too many side dishes, often sporadically served during meals, are far from sufficient, Kwon says.
The chef also points out if Korea wants its food culture to be globally favored, one of the first things to do is distribute Korean food ingredients around the world.
"There should be more knowledge available on Korean food and its industry," he said.
His point is indeed corresponding to a weaker aspect of the Korean food industry, which has not been strong enough in its external growth for years.
Korea lacks technology and a skilled workforce in the business, and is slow in developing new items and markets, according to an analysis of the food ministry. It is also largely dependent on imports for most food materials, making it vulnerable to changes in the global economy.
Currently, the food industry is estimated to be worth 100 trillion won ($77.9 billion) per year, with over 1.6 people million working in it, and food manufacturing accounts for 49 percent of the food industry and nearly 75 percent of the entire manufacturing industry.
However, its structure is far from robust, with support from the government leaving much to be desired, as worsening bipolarization in the manufacturing business is likely to lead to frequent safety-related accidents. Over 90 percent of local food makers have fewer than 50 workers, and research and development in the industry, as well as an integrated database, remains at an insufficient level.
Left to his own devices, he says he would like to make some new categories to define Korean food.
"Personally, I don't think the belief that 'the most Korean is the most global' works any more," he said. "That's why it's important to get foreigners used to Korean ingredients step by step, naturally helping them acquire a taste for other Korean dishes as well."
Edward Kwon named ddeokgalbi, one of the meat dishes less known to foreigners, as his recommendation. “These sorts of dishes are common in many cultures, from hamburger steak in Western countries to the kebab of Turkey. And I think it is the best among Korean barbecues to serve as an a-la-carte menu item,” he said. 700 grams beef rib, 50 grams samgyeopsal (pork belly strip), 10 grams shiitake mushroom, 50 grams onion, 10 gingko nuts; (for sauce) 1.5 spoonfuls soy sauce, half a teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons minced spring onion, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 30 grams pear juice. 1. Cut the rib into 7-centimeter wide pieces, remove the fat and soak the pieces in a bowl of water, change water three times on the hour to completely remove blood. After that, separate meat from the bone and mince it. 2. Remove blood from pork strips and mince them. Mince onion and mushroom as well. Stir-fry gingko nuts on medium heat for 2 minutes, and peel them. 3. Make the sauce by mixing the ingredients together. 1. Preheat the pan, put in minced onion and pan-fry for 2 minutes, and chill it down. 2. Mix all minced ingredients ― beef, pork, mushroom and pan-fried onion ― together, add the sauce and knead well. 3. Smear a bit of flour onto the rib bone, attach the minced meat 1.5-centimeter thick, make narrow slits and put a gingko nut in the middle. 4. Preheat an oiled grill. Grill the meat on medium heat for 15 minutes on one side, then another 10 minutes on the other. * All images of the recipe are courtesy of “The Beauty of Korean Food: With 300 Best-Loved Recipes,” published by the Institute of Traditional Korean Food.
Edward Kwon named ddeokgalbi, one of the meat dishes less known to foreigners, as his recommendation. “These sorts of dishes are common in many cultures, from hamburger steak in Western countries to the kebab of Turkey. And I think it is the best among Korean barbecues to serve as an a-la-carte menu item,” he said. 700 grams beef rib, 50 grams samgyeopsal (pork belly strip), 10 grams shiitake mushroom, 50 grams onion, 10 gingko nuts; (for sauce) 1.5 spoonfuls soy sauce, half a teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons minced spring onion, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 30 grams pear juice. 1. Cut the rib into 7-centimeter wide pieces, remove the fat and soak the pieces in a bowl of water, change water three times on the hour to completely remove blood. After that, separate meat from the bone and mince it. 2. Remove blood from pork strips and mince them. Mince onion and mushroom as well. Stir-fry gingko nuts on medium heat for 2 minutes, and peel them. 3. Make the sauce by mixing the ingredients together. 1. Preheat the pan, put in minced onion and pan-fry for 2 minutes, and chill it down. 2. Mix all minced ingredients ― beef, pork, mushroom and pan-fried onion ― together, add the sauce and knead well. 3. Smear a bit of flour onto the rib bone, attach the minced meat 1.5-centimeter thick, make narrow slits and put a gingko nut in the middle. 4. Preheat an oiled grill. Grill the meat on medium heat for 15 minutes on one side, then another 10 minutes on the other. * All images of the recipe are courtesy of “The Beauty of Korean Food: With 300 Best-Loved Recipes,” published by the Institute of Traditional Korean Food.
Edward Kwon named ddeokgalbi, one of the meat dishes less known to foreigners, as his recommendation. “These sorts of dishes are common in many cultures, from hamburger steak in Western countries to the kebab of Turkey. And I think it is the best among Korean barbecues to serve as an a-la-carte menu item,” he said. 700 grams beef rib, 50 grams samgyeopsal (pork belly strip), 10 grams shiitake mushroom, 50 grams onion, 10 gingko nuts; (for sauce) 1.5 spoonfuls soy sauce, half a teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons minced spring onion, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 30 grams pear juice. 1. Cut the rib into 7-centimeter wide pieces, remove the fat and soak the pieces in a bowl of water, change water three times on the hour to completely remove blood. After that, separate meat from the bone and mince it. 2. Remove blood from pork strips and mince them. Mince onion and mushroom as well. Stir-fry gingko nuts on medium heat for 2 minutes, and peel them. 3. Make the sauce by mixing the ingredients together. 1. Preheat the pan, put in minced onion and pan-fry for 2 minutes, and chill it down. 2. Mix all minced ingredients ― beef, pork, mushroom and pan-fried onion ― together, add the sauce and knead well. 3. Smear a bit of flour onto the rib bone, attach the minced meat 1.5-centimeter thick, make narrow slits and put a gingko nut in the middle. 4. Preheat an oiled grill. Grill the meat on medium heat for 15 minutes on one side, then another 10 minutes on the other. * All images of the recipe are courtesy of “The Beauty of Korean Food: With 300 Best-Loved Recipes,” published by the Institute of Traditional Korean Food.
Edward Kwon named ddeokgalbi, one of the meat dishes less known to foreigners, as his recommendation. “These sorts of dishes are common in many cultures, from hamburger steak in Western countries to the kebab of Turkey. And I think it is the best among Korean barbecues to serve as an a-la-carte menu item,” he said. 700 grams beef rib, 50 grams samgyeopsal (pork belly strip), 10 grams shiitake mushroom, 50 grams onion, 10 gingko nuts; (for sauce) 1.5 spoonfuls soy sauce, half a teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons minced spring onion, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 30 grams pear juice. 1. Cut the rib into 7-centimeter wide pieces, remove the fat and soak the pieces in a bowl of water, change water three times on the hour to completely remove blood. After that, separate meat from the bone and mince it. 2. Remove blood from pork strips and mince them. Mince onion and mushroom as well. Stir-fry gingko nuts on medium heat for 2 minutes, and peel them. 3. Make the sauce by mixing the ingredients together. 1. Preheat the pan, put in minced onion and pan-fry for 2 minutes, and chill it down. 2. Mix all minced ingredients ― beef, pork, mushroom and pan-fried onion ― together, add the sauce and knead well. 3. Smear a bit of flour onto the rib bone, attach the minced meat 1.5-centimeter thick, make narrow slits and put a gingko nut in the middle. 4. Preheat an oiled grill. Grill the meat on medium heat for 15 minutes on one side, then another 10 minutes on the other. * All images of the recipe are courtesy of “The Beauty of Korean Food: With 300 Best-Loved Recipes,” published by the Institute of Traditional Korean Food.