Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
Korean food goes mainstream in LA
Customers of House of Galbi have Korean BBQ during the lunch hour in Encino, L.A., on Feb. 27. / Korea Times photo by Park Jin-hai
By Park Jin-hai
By Park Jin-hai
Los Angeles, Calif. ― At the Line Hotel, one of the trendiest hotels in Korea Town in Los Angeles, a white couple orders a steak that is served with sauce made from blackish doenjang. They amusingly talk about the spellings of the Korean word.
A group of young Latinos place bottled soju on the cash counter in the market that looks like it has almost every Korean item including puffed rice snacks that street venders usually sell in Korea. In the area, spas look more like Korean-style public jjimjilbang bathhouses, not luxury beauty services.
Walking in the neighborhood near Wilshire/Vermont subway station, one can even see a Korean-language no-smoking sign. A young woman in her car passing by shouts the name of her favorite BTS member “Jimin” in jubilation when she sees an electronic display that bears the photo of the K-pop superstar band on the wall of a tall building.
Centering on young Americans, Los Angeles is increasingly becoming a hub for Korean culture. And Korean food benefits from the atmosphere.
Kaelan Nielsen, a customer, says cooking the meat himself at Korean BBQ restaurant gives a fun experience at House of Galbi in Encino, L.A. on Feb. 27.
Restaurants that mostly served Korean guests in the past have seen a drastic rise in other Americans now. Successful eateries open branches and venture into other areas that had never had Korean restaurants previously.
“Of all my friends I'm taking to the Korean barbecue, not a single one walked away, not satisfied. Everybody loved it and they wanted to go on a regular basis,” said Brian Weinberger, an attorney who ate lunch at the Korean barbecue restaurant House of Galbi near his workplace in Encino.
During lunch hour, it offers a buffet-style all-you-can-eat special offer menu, where customers can explore 24 items including a variety of meats such as prime brisket, bulgogi, beef belly and marinated chicken breast along with side dishes for $17.99 per person.
Saying that galbi is his “love at first bite,” Weinberger said people look at Korean food as a healthy way of eating because there is a lot of vegetables. “I come here almost once a week with my friends and family. They like the side dishes and usually the quality of meat is really good.”
He said Korean food businesses are thriving near his home in suburban Thousand Oaks, about 22 miles west of the restaurant. “Koreans are opening barbecues out there now. That is totally a new white area. So they are expanding.”
Helen Kim, owner of House of Galbi, speaks at her restaurant in Encino, L.A., on Feb. 27. / Korea Times photo by Park Jin-hai
For Helen Kim, the owner of House of Galbi, the change in favor of Korean food in Los Angeles over the past 10 years or so has been obvious.
When she opened her first restaurant in the neighborhood in 2006, her customers were mostly Koreans homesick for food from their homeland.
“This is my second restaurant in the same neighborhood, and now only 15 percent of my customers are Korean and the rest are non-Asian Americans. Compared with my first restaurant, this new one is bigger as well, more than double the size,” she said. “I have many regular customers. Sometimes I see people who visited yesterday come again the following day.”
Kaelan Nielsen, a young man with a Jewish/Irish background who accompanied Weinberger, said his Thai girlfriend introduced him to Korean food.
“She was introducing me to Thai food, which is notorious for being sour, sweet, salty and spicy. When Thai foods get kind of boring, we expanded horizons,” he said. “American food tends to be pretty bland and greasy… not particularly interesting. Like Thai food, Korean food has a lot of strong flavors. We've enjoying Thai food and Korean food for the same reason. I see younger, non-Asian American people, looking for new and exciting things, eating Korean food.
“One restaurant I didn't think it would succeed, they opened primarily in a Hispanic low-income neighborhood. It's not that Korean barbecue is expensive but $25 per person is more than I expected the community could afford. But, they are always busy. Even the Hispanic community seems to enjoy and adopt Korean food.”
Both say the meat is the main reason people visit. “Bulgogi, galbi, and dwaeji galbi… It's all different types of meat. We don't have that kind of meat. It's like being introduced to new items, different types of marinates. It's not boring stuff. If it's new, good and exciting, it's fun.”
In LA, the number of Korean restaurants (including bars and cafes) has increased 30 percent over the past five years, according to the LA Korean American Restaurant Association. Currently the number stands at 1,500.
Lee Ki-young, CEO of the association, said “Ten or 15 years ago, barbecue and sushi restaurants were very popular here. After some years of a slowdown in the business, Korean barbecue restaurants have improved their meat quality. At the same time, there has been a fresh influx of businesses targeting the trendy younger generation like fire-hot spicy tteokbokki restaurants that have sprung up in a matter of two or three years. All these added up to an increasing K-food variety, exposing more Korean foods to Americans.”