Beer and fried chicken: Fred Dustin and American chicks in Korea

Members of the Kanaan Poultry Corporation. Chang Don-sik, the president, is in the center and next to him is Fred Dustin. Circa 1963

• Published May 3, 2020 9:33 AM KST
• Updated May 3, 2020 2:11 PM KST

By Robert Neff

Arguably, chimaek - fried chicken and beer ― is one of the most popular features of the weekend (and, for many, weekdays) in Korea.

Crispy fried chicken washed down by an icy-cold beer are about as close to heaven as some of us (including me) will probably get. But the popularity of fried chicken is relatively new.

Apparently, fried chicken became popular in the 1960s due to the American military camps scattered about the Korean Peninsula. As the Korean economy grew, the number of chickens also increased. The standard Korean breeds weren't deemed economical and foreign breeds ― generally American ― were introduced. One of these early pioneers was Fred Dustin.

Dustin came to Korea in 1952 with the U.S. military. After the Korean War, he worked as a teacher, gold miner, and copy editor for one of the English-language newspapers.

In late 1963, Dustin joined a group of Korean businessmen and established the Kanaan Poultry Corporation in the Bupyeong area of Incheon. They designed and built “ultra-modern completely environmentally controlled hen houses” and purchased chicks from Heisdorf and Nelson ― a firm in Kirkland, Washington.

As Dustin fondly recalled, they bought “one male to 10 females and let them act as chickens will!” These chickens were highly prized as they produced more eggs than the chickens currently being raised in Korea. Once they had a large enough breeding stock, they began to sell chicks to poultry farmers around the peninsula.

Every Thursday, the employees would pack the chicks into boxes and transport them, mainly by plane, to their customers. In the beginning, they used boxes with straw-rope but “the airlines forced us to use other methods because the straw dust was not good for the ventilation system on the planes!!!”

In 1968, the corporation was bought out by Ralston Purina and Dustin later obtained a large tract of land on Jeju Island as part of his severance pay.

In 1972, he and his wife, Marie Louise, moved to their land on the island and started a small poultry farm. Decades later, Dustin described the troubles they had raising their first 500 chicks in the primitive conditions of the homestead:

“The brooder house was heated by gas to keep the chicks warm and also kept the snakes and weasels warm. Marie Louise and I had a hell of a time whenever something would frighten the chicks: a hawk flying over or a snake or weasel out for a chicken dinner … The big black snakes came right into the building and into the egg trays for their egg snacks! What a wild, pioneering time that was!”

Eventually they were able to defeat the snakes, weasels and other predators and began to make a profit. Sturdier buildings were constructed from the island's native stones and the number of chickens raised was increased. Chicks were donated the American Korean Foundation for its 4H program on the island and seemed to be have been a very big hit with the island's children.

Dustin once commented: “I remember how tickled kids were to receive those little chicks; but chicks are like kittens ― they soon become birds as kittens become cats!!!” It seems a rather strange thing for him to say as he was well known for his incredible love of kittens and cats.

Running the poultry farm was difficult but, as both enjoyed raising animals, it was enjoyable as evidenced by the many grainy black-and-white photographs. Unfortunately, it was also short-lived. Marie Louise was suffering from cancer and it became too much for them to handle. They eventually sold their poultry farm to a family friend who later increased the operation to some 50,000 chickens.

Shortly after they sold their farm, Marie Louise lost her battle with cancer. Years later, when I spoke with Dustin in front of his fireplace on Jeju Island, he somewhat quietly stated, “I think Marie Louise enjoyed it as much as I did” and had she survived her bout with cancer, “we could have many a laugh today at our foolishness those early years.”

The memories of his “chicken years” remained with him until his death on May 5, 2018. I hope the next time you ― the reader ― indulge in chimaek you will do me a favor and raise your glass to the memory of my old friend and his love for chicks that became chickens and the kittens that became cats.

Rest in peace Fred.