KoreaToday More Promotion Needed to Make Hansik Trendy
By Kim Hyun-cheol
Staff Reporter
Korean food, or hansik, has great potential to stand out as a new trend in global culinary culture, but it will take more committed efforts to raise its still sub-par recognition. That's the thinking of Ciaran Hickey, head chef at the W Hotel Seoul, has on the food of the country he currently resides in.
For all its virtues, Korean food needs an overhaul to get strangers over its unfamiliarity for it to be better appreciated outside the country, the chef said. The Irish national, who has 65 chefs working under him at one of the most stylish hotels in the city, came to Korea in 2007.
``Korean cuisine may have recognition in America but not yet in Europe. The first meal I had here was hanjeongsik, a Korean table d'hote with various dishes altogether on the table, and it was very confusing,'' Hickey said. ``I lived in the United States for years, and heard about Korean barbecues and kimchi but not much else. I didn't know where to start, how to eat them,'' Hickey said.
Surprisingly, his first encounter with Korean dishes was not that pleasant. It was on his flight to Korea after taking the job here, and he had bibimbap and kimchi for breakfast after an overnight stay. ``It didn't really feel that nice then,'' he remembers.
After a year-and-a-half, things have certainly changed; The Irish chef is comfortably open to Korean food, and relishes it every time he can.
Hansik has a lot of potential to attract foreigners, from gourmets to ordinary eaters, as it has some notable standout aspects.
``There are a lot of flavors in Korean food, like in chili sauce, and people use unique ingredients like pear for the marinade of bulbogi or galbi,'' the head chef said.
``What I especially like about Korean food is sharing and interaction. When you go to a samgyeopsal place, you cook the meat for yourself. That is fun. If you go to a galbi restaurant, a waitress will grills the meat right away and serve you and it's also interesting. Such interactive food can be popular everywhere in the world. But you will have to `educate' people about it,'' he said.
Hansik is of serious need of active promotion in that regard because most visitors ― at least European ones ― come here for business and not for travel, according to Hickey, and thus have no chance to know the cuisine better.
Some critics say currently pivotal characteristics of Korean food, such as spiciness and various fermented dishes, could keep more foreigners from enjoying it. Hickey, however, has a different opinion.
``I don't think Korean food is overly spicy or something, but some of it looks quite aggressive at first glance like I felt about kimchi stew (kimchichige),'' he said. ``About fermented dishes, sauerkraut is enjoyed throughout Europe. They are all fond of it.''
It all comes down to how to let people know about the cuisine, according to the Irish cook. And recognition overseas leaves something to be desired outside of America.
``It's very low in Europe. They have no idea what it is all about. It's higher in America because it has Korean communities,'' he said
Food is about trends, and a lot of people say it could be the next trend, Hickey said. Meanwhile, many leading chefs are introducing various techniques to fuse Korean food into Western plates.
Hickey believes a strategic approach will help raise the profile of Korean cuisine, particularly by simplifying and concentrating; namely, focusing on promoting a selected list of dishes that can be universally attractive.
``It might not be 100 percent true that Korean food is healthy and good for well-being. Maybe some has too much salt or too much kick. But it's the matter of marketing, and how to let them feel about the food in the end. Asian food has a solid ground globally, but Korea has not yet fully joined the vogue. That means it has opportunities to tap into the realm, and even lead the trend as a new wave," he said.
"The government should be more active in promotion. Korea needs to hold more events overseas to introduce its cuisine as a `hidden gem,' as a new style of Asian food. It also needs to send more cooks there to let them know about the cuisine,'' Hickey said.