A while back one of the entities promoting Korean food came out with what they considered were the most popular dishes by foreigners. I don’t know how they came up with their list or if they actually bothered to ask real foreigners. When I posted about the list on my website, the foreigners who read it scratched their heads. Sure, my readers liked the foods on the list, but those were not their favorites.
I regularly poll my readers about their favorite Korean foods. Every year I even hold a contest where Korean dishes “battle” each other for votes like a Korean food World Cup. Here are the top four that are consistently popular.
Jeonju Bibimbap
Bibimbap is picking up in popularity overseas. Its healthiness is one reason. But the main reason is that it’s considered an exciting “new” way to eat rice. It’s also full of creative possibilities. Roy Choi’s Chego is becoming a popular lunch spot with his eccentric tasty “Rice Bowls,” as he calls them.
Suwon Galbi
Galbi is how many foreigners get introduced to Korean food. It’s the gateway that pulls them in and encourages them to try more foods. I’m surprised that galbi is not promoted much―or at all―by Korean food promoters.
Samgyeopsal
Samgyeopsal is in the same category as galbi. I’d include other parts of the pig like hangjeongsal as a favorite of foreigners. When people get introduced to marinated galbi, they get introduced to pork in its purest form with samgyeopsal, and it’s through this that they discover the joys of ssamjang. In fact, I say that samgyeopsal is just a vehicle to bring ssamjang to the mouth.
Dalk Galbi
This is the most surprising of the list. You would think that not many foreigners know what dalk galbi is or that it’s too spicy. Yet each year it makes the top three in votes. And the people who vote for it are passionate about it. What’s there not to like? Juicy morsels of chicken in one of the tastiest spicy marinades that is the trademark of Korean cuisine, cooked at the table with friends. And the leftovers get cooked into fried rice. Dalk Galbi is the dish that has been sorely neglected by Korean food promoters, but it needs to have the spotlight instead.
I have stated many times that research needs to be done when marketing. You can’t force what you want down people’s throats and expect them to like it. I hear that foolish marketers are still trying to sell gujeolpan to Americans while ignoring the American palate, which would find gujeolpan pretty but boring compared to the four dishes listed above.
Korean food promoters, please listen to your market.
BY Joe McPherson
