Foreign Foodies Generate Strong Following

The one-year-old FatManSeoul.com, run by Jennifer Flinn, delves into the depths of the rice burger from Korea’s famous Lotteria chain.

By Ines Min
Contributing Writer

In the past five years, a new Internet phenomenon has begun to boil in Seoul: the foreigner food blogging culture. United by a common desire to explore the international and domestic cuisines found in South Korea, expat foodies now have an outlet for their passion through a community of English-language blogs ― something that was unheard of before 2004.

The ``grandfather of food blogs" was FatMan Seoul, according to Joe McPherson of ZenKimchi.com. It was Seoul's first food blog in English, started by a mystery man whose identity was never discovered. Though shut down in early 2005 with the author's departure from the country, its legacy lives on through inspired bloggers ― one of which still carries on the name, with no affiliation.

After the Web site closed, McPherson noticed that there was a lack of Korean food blogs written in English, and began his own. He converted his personal blog into a food-focused one in 2005, and now the average number of hits per day ranges from 600 to more than 1,000. Since then, English-language food blogs have increased exponentially.

A year later, McPherson began organizing meetings with other bloggers, to find other people with whom to eat out and explore.

``We did a very good Chuseok at my house in 2006," he said. ``From there we really liked the idea of starting a food community."

Expat food blogs differ from local, Korean-language ones in their approach and perspective of cuisines, according to Jennifer Flinn of the new FatManSeoul.com, started in June 2008. ``There tends to be an air of discovery," she said, as opposed to Korean blogs that focus predominantly on the dining experience.

Flinn added that Korean food blogs are really popular in Seoul. ``Everyone from people who are really well-educated about food… to high school students" will take photos of food everywhere they go, she said.

FatManSeoul is a partially bilingual blog, with posts written in English and Korean side by side. Flinn said about one-third of her readers are Korean, judging by the type of browsers and language settings of her online visitors. However, most of her readers are native English-speakers.

The expat food blogging community has recently made efforts to reach out to Korean bloggers, but endeavors have been met with difficulties because of the language barrier. Flinn is the only predominant food blogger who can speak Korean.

``I think (a mutual interest) will increase over the next couple years," she said. She mentioned that Korean bloggers have linked to the English-language ones and vice versa, but the curiosity has yet to peak. ``I don't think they have an interest in us yet."

McPherson and Flinn are Americans, though other blog writers hail from Australia, the United Kingdom and other countries. About half of their audiences are Westerners simply interested in Korean food, while the rest are foreigners residing in South Korea.

Restaurants reviews are not restricted to Western fare though. McPherson enjoys Thai and Jamaican foods while Daniel Gray from SeoulEats.com prefers Uzbek and Indian cuisines. Flinn specializes in the anthropological nature of Korean food and tends to combine historical information with visuals on her blog.

The three bloggers will review restaurants that they have heard of by word-of-mouth or simply stumbled upon. If an establishment has been recommended to them specifically because they are bloggers, they will make a note of it in their review.

``I pick (restaurants) on what the foreign community would like," Gray said. Shocking and surprising entries also garner attention, such as humorous pieces on corn ice cream, how many calories are in soju (540 per bottle), or whether or not green tea stains teeth.

One main quality they all search for in their restaurant reviews is authenticity and quality in preparation. Gray said what he looked for was ``real food," made from fresh ingredients and put together with thought.

Arab-run restaurants are typically the most authentic, Gray said. They will typically cook to ``halal" standards, which is a technique of food preparation that follows the guidelines of Islam, including the method of animal slaughter. The strict dietary rules have standardized a high-level quality of food and do not cater to Korean clientele, he said. ``It's their own restaurant."

The blogs have uncovered several new concentrated areas of ethnic foods outside of Itaewon, such as Ansan, a small city southwest of Seoul. It can be reached by subway line four, roughly an hour outside of the city center. McPherson described the multi-cultural hub his version of the Epcot Center.

``It's one of the top 10 tourist attractions in Korea that the tourism board doesn't know about yet," he said. He also noted the Sunday Filipino market in Hyehwa-dong and the small French district of Seorae-dong as central points for authentic, international cuisine.

The bloggers' reviews have also begun to impact the local restaurants. Corner Bistro, a hamburger shop in Itaewon, was hit by a wave of new customers after Gray praised the owner's food instincts in a review. The owner personally thanked him for the exposure.

Gray, who also writes for Groove magazine, believes online food reviews are more lasting than printed ones. They are not only physically durable but easily accessible.

``As more people view (a site), it moves up in the page rankings," Gray said.

In an effort to cater more to the domestic audiences of the food blog community, McPherson launched a new restaurant review Web site (ZenKimchi.com/Dining) in May that focuses on ratings, directions and other factors practical to a South Korean resident. Although the majority of the reviews are for Seoul, there are also listings in Busan, Anyang, Suwon and other satellite cities. Food bloggers and readers across the nation are welcome to contribute.

``We've developed friendships and it's all because of the food blogging," McPherson said while laughing. ``The whole blogging community has become a little bit of a clique… like the nerd clique where anyone can come in."

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