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| A note posted on a restaurant serving beef intestines in this photo taken June 29 in Seoul reads: "All beef intestines are sold out today, because of the eating show. We are sorry for this and will see you tomorrow. Thank you." / Korea Times photo by Kim Rahn |
Celebrity endorsement creates beef intestines craze
By Ko Dae-ho
Hwasa, a member of the four-member girl group MAMAMOO, has feminine appeal that every girl her age would die for.
She is girlish and has long lush locks. She is chic, curvy and tall.
But her food taste defies her girlish image.
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| Hwasa, a member of the four-member girl group MAMAMOO / Korea Times file |
Hwasa confessed her favorite food is gopchang (beef intestines). In MBC's reality show "I Live Alone" that aired in June, she disclosed her unusual food taste and demonstrated how she enjoyed her favorite food. "I like organ meats, rather than beef," she said. "I like beef heart, liver and intestines. These are my favorite. I like tripe, too."
In the show, she "devoured" beef intestines served at her favorite restaurant in Seoul.
The footage of her enjoying the dish has gone viral, causing her to earn the nickname "Goddess of Gopchang."
Beef intestines have become a big hit.
And restaurants serving organ meats saw an instant, rare boom which shortly led to a supply shortage.
Long lines of people are spotted in front of eateries serving beef intestines.
Hwasa's favorite restaurant benefited a lot from her endorsement.
Before the TV show, the eatery was open all year round without days off.
Due to the supply shortage, however, it was forced to close on Sunday.
The eatery also had "unintended" shortened work hours as all dishes are sold out before 10 p.m., allowing it to close earlier than usual.
In July, Hwasa received a certificate of appreciation from the Association of Cattle Organ Meats for her role in facilitating consumption of beef intestines. They also gave her a free coupon worth 1 million won ($950) to help the K-pop star enjoy her favorite food as much as she wants.
Celebrity endorsement is one of the most widely used marketing strategies to promote sales of certain products.
There are many reality TV shows featuring cuisine. But only a few of them successfully trigger a boom in the given products.
Many are wondering the secrets of how Hwasa pulled together such a miraculous craze for beef intestines.
Those who are familiar with reality shows say the way she enjoyed organ meats ignited many viewers' taste buds for the dish.
Some say chemistry between the characteristics of Hwasa and gopchang seems to have played a part in creating such a magic.
While gopchang is popular in Korea, it is also commonly regarded as food for middle-aged men that is fattening and should be eaten together with groups of people at night. However, it only took one scene to blow the typical image of the dish. While it is considered to be quite a feat to eat alone in Korea, the TV show "I Live Alone" depicted Hwasa as a young K-pop idol eating gopchang alone in the middle of the day.
The rare contrast of a chic girl eating a food more commonly associated with older men attracted viewers into seeing a new perspective.
University student Lee Jeong-in, a fan of MAMAMOO, commented that she rediscovered Hwasa, who was believed to live in glitz and glamour, as a girl next door as she enjoys the food for ordinary people.
"Fans adore her not so much because of her looks but because of her work ethic. They are encouraged to work hard to be like her," she said.
Hwasa proved her celebrity influence again when she came back to the show in July. This time, she pitched another favorite dish ― seaweed chips or gimbugak. Demonstrating how to enjoy it, she said "this is really yummy. You don't need any other dish." After the show, seaweed chips became the most searched word on the nation's largest internet portal NAVER.
Restaurant owners serving the dish witnessed Hwasa's influence is real.
According to the CEO of the seaweed chips producer Bugakmaeul, sales have surged five to six times compared to a month ago.
"It's amazing to see the immediate increase in popularity of the dish after the show," he told The Korea Times. "Before the show, seaweed chips were popular among people in their 30s and 40s. After the show, young people began consuming it a lot. I'd like to thank Hwasa for her pitch and her role in getting younger people to take an interest in the dish."
Ko Dae-ho is a Korea Times intern.
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