59th Hansik Doesn’t Need to Stick to Authenticity
U.K.-Based Journalist Says Korean Food Needs Active Recreation
By Kim Hyun-cheol
Staff Reporter
It's not an easy thing to run a Korean restaurant outside of Korea, especially in places with different cultural backgrounds. London, in that regard, is a perfect place to test the competitiveness of overseas Korean restaurants.
A British food journalist said that Korean restaurants in London need to set aside authenticity to be more appealing and accessible to local foodies. And the reason is simple.
``There is still not enough awareness about Korean food in London,'' said Joe Warwick, editor and publisher of Galley Slave magazine, which was launched there this month.
As he sees it, Korean food, or ``hansik,'' needs to take a more customer-friendly approach in Western countries because Korea and its cuisine are not in an advantaged spot culturally compared to other countries.
``There are a lot of dishes on the menu but few understand what they are, and sometimes even wait staff can't explain the food. They can't bring a dictionary to a restaurant to know what they are going to eat. To a lot of people it's so inaccessible,'' he said.
A renowned specialist of the London dining scene, Warwick has published articles in U.K. newspapers including The Independent and The Observer, and is a former editor of Restaurant Magazine, which annually launches ``The World's 50 Best Restaurants'' awards.
In the end, it all boils down to the issue of authenticity when it comes to mulling over a better way of promoting food. It's natural to hope to keep a cuisine as close as its original form as possible even when it's far from its home turf.
However, Warwick said authenticity is not something to get hung up on when looking to turn first-timers into fans.
``In terms of selling cuisine, I think authenticity is overrated,'' he said. ``Most of dishes at curry-tandoori places are actually British-Indian, like chicken tikka massala ― there is no such dish in India. It's the same in Japanese food. It's not what you get in Japan.''
He doesn't think people are looking to find something too deep when first trying a different cuisine, saying, ``If you look at big cities like London or New York, there are a vast number of restaurants and different ethnic communities. In restaurants, they just want their food tasty and to enjoy it.''
The same applies to the latest trend in London, Mexican food. There are currently a growing number of casual Mexican restaurants and burrito places there, where dishes are cooked fresh right before customers' eyes. But is the food they get in London exactly the same as the Mexican food they get in Mexico? Warwick says no.
``But it doesn't really matter. It's still Mexican and people like it,'' he said.
``I don't think it has to be about authenticity. It's about giving people a taste of your cuisine and your culture. If they want to know more about the food, then they can turn to something more authentic.''
Along the same lines is Japanese food, which is now big in most Western countries. Some globally famous Japanese restaurant brands like Nobu and Zuma are operated by, for example, a ``German chef in London who studied and loves Japanese food.''
Warwick is visiting Korea to participate in The Amazing Korean Table, a Seoul Metropolitan Government-hosted food festival with the Korean cuisine's globalization as its theme.
During the festival, globally-acclaimed chefs give cooking classes and display new creations with Korean touches. Food symposiums and competitions are also held.
Some might find his remarks uncomfortable, as the circumstances for London-based Korean restaurants have improved a lot over the years.
Currently, there are some 10 Korean restaurants scattered around central London, with more in the south part of the city where there is a sizable Korean community. These restaurants are steadily gaining recognition with some, such as Myung Ga, making it into popular guidebooks such as the annual Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide.
Warwick, however, says they have a long way to go.
``Even though some of them have had good reviews, the overall size is still so small. In contrast, there is a growing interest recently in Japanese restaurants and obviously there is always Chinese food around,'' he said.
``The degree of knowledge (on Asian food) is different in London, not as sophisticated as you find in, say, Sydney or New York.''
Some Korean dishes are widely recognized in many foreign countries, but this doesn't necessarily directly lead to better marketing of hansik, according to the journalist.
``I see the Korean food at the high end is very refined, and there is a lot of history and culture there. But from my point of view, to get people into it is a different thing,'' he said. ``Everybody knows about kimchi, but it's a condiment and not a full dish. It is delicious, but you won't fancy kimchi as it is, and want something beside the side dish.''
The promotion of Korean food, from his viewpoint, doesn't always need to be initiated with high-end dishes, and this is even more so for Korean food because it is still ``alien'' to most British people at the moment.
``Korean barbecue can be successful, even though it might not be what they want to promote (as an exemplary Korean menu), but if it gives people an interest in your cuisine, then you can teach them about more elaborate stuff,'' he said.
In an interesting comparison, he said the process has been much easier with Japanese food because Western chefs have been adopting Japanese skills, citing the example of David Chang, a star Korean-American chef.
Regarded as one of chefs-of-the-moment, Chang has his empire of Momofuku restaurants in New York, including Momofuku Ssam, which ranked 31st on this year's list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants.
With its title derived from a mix of Japanese (Momofuku) and Korean (ssam, which means ``wrapping'') words, the place combines various Asian cuisines into a fusion menu that includes items such as oysters with kimchi consomm? and braised brisket with rice noodles.
``You have to get (Western) chefs to take contents out of the dishes. (Promotion) won't be easy if overseas Korean restaurants are just doing their own things. I'm afraid to say most of the places in London are still catering to Korean tourists and residents only,'' Warwick said.