Viva La Korean Food!

According to the New York Times, Korean food is finally poised to go mainstream within the American palette, after too many years languishing in the shadow of other Asian fare.

It all started with the now-famous Kogi truck in Los Angeles, a venture that started in November 2008. This roving truck sold a tortilla-wrapped galbi concoction--comprised of barbecued short ribs, cilantro, onion, lettuce, and spicy chili sauce--with its exact location announced ahead of time via social networking. The deliciousness of this "Korean taco," combined with the novelty of discovering where the truck would be on any given day, made Kogi instantly popular with L.A. foodies. In fact, Kogi BBQ is so hot that its founder, Roy Choi, was recently named one of Food and Wine magazine's "Best New Chefs" of 2010. And according to Angry Asian Man, thanks to Kogi's popularity, food trucks are experiencing a rebirth of cool in Los Angeles, with "every conceivable" type of cuisine now represented on wheels.

(See a slide show of Korean tacos here.)

And now Korean chefs across the country are using this moment to seize the day for their own BBQ dreams. Korean tacos are popping up in restaurants in Indianapolis, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, and Austin, Texas, just to name a few. Many of these copycat cooks tip their hats to Choi, whom Portland restauranteur Bo Kwon calls, "the alpha." Choi himself seems appreciative but wary of the trend his idea has spawned.

"If Kogi-inspired trucks change how Americans eat, I'll be a pig in slop," he declared at a meeting of the Culinary Institute of America. "But if their food isn't any good, I'll be Kurt Cobain."

From this Korean-adopted gourmand's perspective, any trend that can win over more Americans to the joys of Korean food is a good one. But, why have foods from so many other ethnicities spread across this country, while Korean has not? Take my new hometown of Rochester, MN as an example. Here's a city of roughly 185,000 people. Sure, it's tucked inside farm country, but it does house the Mayo Clinic, which gives the downtown area a surprisingly international feel. In Rochester one will find eateries boasting Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, Somali, Mexican, Greek and, of course, Chinese cuisine (of varying degrees of authenticity, to be sure). But, nary a Korean joint in sight. Now, while I love sushi, I find it fascinating that so many Americans are willing to eat raw fish but yet aren't familiar with the hearty stews, casseroles, stir fries, and beef barbecues of my birth country.

Do you think that one day every small town off an American highway will have a Korean place, just like most have a Chinese joint? What's your favorite Korean dish? And, most importantly, do you think Rochester will ever get a Korean restaurant? If you want to start one, come on down. You can sleep on our futon.

by Katie Leo
Photo by Arnold Inuyaki, licensed under Creative Commons