My buddy Zenkimchi was invited to speak at the intellectual forum, TED, and in this video he talks about Korean food and how to promote it overseas. I agree with many of his points and I feel that my work with O'ngo Food Communications has been doing a lot of what Joe is talking about in this video. I feel the best way to get people to enjoy a different culture's cuisine is through experience. Joe, great video. Dan

Shin Kim from the fabulous site Shinshine has translated the Chosun Weekly article on the "Food Musketeers" in Korea: Zen Kimchi , Fatmanseoul , and Me . It was originally written by Shim Hye-gi. In the article, you can actually see what Fatmanseoul looks like. [PEOPLE] Foreign Powerbloggers as Korean Food Missionaries Gobchang , Pork Skin , Skate…Wonderful! There is a fever for the ‘globalization of Korean food.’  Not only government organizations such as The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF) and the Korea Tourism Organization, but also major companies in the food industry are taking action for the globalization of Korean food.  The first lady Yoon-ok Kim appeared on the American news channel CNN and gave cooking demonstration of Korean food last October.  The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) plans to accelerate the effort on the globalization of Korean food through the International Food Industry Exhibition in Seoul fro...

Just another post of what the food bloggers are doing in Korea to market Korean food. I think this is like the umpteenth interview that I've done on this topic and well...it's ok. Does it have any real impact on government policies and such? Honestly, it does. Korea is all about print- they love hard copy. The idea that a internet blog makes it into print means that important people will read it and it gives credibility to the whole blogging...thing. Anywho, Shin Hye-gi did a great write up on it for the Weekly Chosun and you can pick up your copy at newstands now. Look! That's me in the middle! This is what the cover to the magazine looks like. Pick it up today! The pictures are from Zenkimchi. You should go to his write-up because he has a particularly prickly thing to say about the whole "Korean Food the World" project. Here's the link.

  Foodcoma911 has left Korea ㅠㅠ but she got to do it in style by traveling on Korea Air's Business Class flight. Damn does that chair look comfortable. The food...she said the dinner was alright, but the breakfast was just so, so. Apparently in Business Class dinner includes cheese and haagen daaz icecream. AZA.  Via Foodcoma911   Vegetarian in Korea has announced that this week is vegan week. She's starting out by making a Vegan Vietnamese Sandwich with marinated tofu and veggies.  Via Vegetarian in Korea 10 Magazine has a review of Spain Club, a very expensive restaurant in Garosugil.  Via 10 Magazine Seoulfoodyo is getting Green Onion Chicken from Ne Ne Chicken delivered to his house. He says it ain't bad and the onions definitely made the chicken better. Is Ne Ne the best? I think I have to stick with Pelicana. Via Seoulfoodyo   Zenkimchi has a review of a Korean Cook Book from 1959. Interesting proverb on this page. I'm not sure if it r...

From zenkimchi.com there is a great series of posts frim Tammy of Calikorean cooking. She is doing 12 days of tteokbokki. Today we have Arrabiatta Tteokbokki. Seoulfoodyo is eating kimchi stew made from three year old kimchi. Jenny from foodcoma911 is eating Military Stew at Ewha University. Finally, shinshine po sts about her thoughts on the Japanese food expo that was recently held in New York City. Go check out all these posts. Happy eating! Dan - Posted from my iPhone

Part of my work involves doing research on the perceptions of Korean food by non-Koreans. There was a controversy about the spelling of Makgeolli and how the spelling could lead to mispronunciation. Watch the video to see how people pronounce the suggested spellings of makgeolli. My position is that the current, standard spelling is fine and that the Korean government shouldn't spend money on changing the spelling. Instead, they should work to get the drink overseas and to have people try it.

Zenkimchi, Fatman Seoul, and Seoul Eats in Korean Times. By Ines Min Contributing Writer In the past five years, a new Internet phenomenon has begun to boil in Seoul: the foreigner food blogging culture. United by a common desire to explore the international and domestic cuisines found in South Korea, expat foodies now have an outlet for their passion through a community of English-language blogs ― something that was unheard of before 2004. The ``grandfather of food blogs" was FatMan Seoul, according to Joe McPherson of ZenKimchi.com. It was Seoul's first food blog in English, started by a mystery man whose identity was never discovered. Though shut down in early 2005 with the author's departure from the country, its legacy lives on through inspired bloggers ― one of which still carries on the name, with no affiliation. After the Web site closed, McPherson noticed that there was a lack of Korean food blogs written in English, and began his own. He converted his personal ...

This is the message that Joe McPherson sent out: "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern" will premiere its South Korea episode in the U.S. on the Travel Channel at 10 p.m. EST. We at ZenKimchi were highly involved in the planning, research and shooting of this show. Eun Jeong, Dan Gray (Seoul Eats), Chef Hu-nam Kim (Star Chef), and more of our friends guided Andrew Zimmern on his tour through Seoul. If you're not in the U.S., the episode will later air on Discover Networks stations worldwide on various dates. It will likely be available for download on iTunes ($1.99) by next week. I'm also posting whatever videos I can find on the web to the ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal. Make sure to stop by the Food Journal for behind-the-scenes pics and stories. Happy eating, Joe McPherson ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal Joe has a great write up and pictures on his site. Be sure to check it out here. Joe McPherson has been at the forefront of the Korean food wave for years. He...

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Behind-the-Kitchen with Chef Hu-nam Kim of Star Chef Posted in: Restaurant Last month, we were helping the Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” scout locations, foods and guides for their upcoming Korea show. In our research, our friend Jennifer Lee (Naked in the Sauna, Between Pee and Kimchi) told us about this amazing restaurant with an amazing Chef, Hu-nam Kim. Cathy and David Harris (SeoulLife.net) concurred. They said it was one of the best meals they ever had in Seoul. Really? We had to check this out. A couple of weeks later, we headed to the Maebong neighborhood in southeast Seoul, near Yangjae (you know, “Costco” Yangjae). Tucked in the corner of some back streets is this cozy little pub. Star Chef. Jen, Cathy and David weren’t exaggerating. The food here was amazing (I’ve noticed that I tend to say, “Amazing,” as much as Andrew Zimmern says, “Fantastic.”) I wanted to immediately post about the restaurant, but the evil self-promotiona...

I don't know how Joe from Zenkimchi does it, but he consistently finds all the really weird food in Korea. It must be the grocery store in Ansan. Here we have a Popsicle with gum. Yum...cold...argh...cavity! Oh wait, I have gum. Jump here to read the rest!