Earlier quoted context omitted.
Everyone is at most 7 connections away :) The world is smaller than we assume
What about those uncontacted tribes!?
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The $40M bet that made South Korea a food and cultural power
31–40 of 72 posts
Re: The $40M bet that made South Korea a food and cultural power
#32This is only tangential but I remember how sushi used to be a “weird” food to most Americans. Probably as recently as 10 or 15 years ago. And now its everywhere. Its right in the mix with pizza and tacos for standard restaurant niches. I see it in rural grocery stores very far away from any sort of big city. I think kimchi just doesnt have that kind of broad appeal but who knows. This is not to deny the effectiveness…
Kimchi is actually starting to pop up in surprising places away from city centers (my rural grocery store has some) but it sits around and by the time I got some, it was... not fresh.
Sushi has the benefit of needing to be consumed fresh, except for fake crab which freezes well enough that you can find "sushi" at quite a few out of the way gas stations as well.
Having access to an asian grocery store with fresh bean sprouts, kimchi, freshly made kimbap, good masala blends, all the herbs and so forth is probably the only thing I miss about living in a bigger city.
Re: The $40M bet that made South Korea a food and cultural power
#33South Korea has only 40 million people yet has a significant worldwide cultural influence, definitely punching above its weight. I wonder if China were to implement the same tactics South Korea uses for cultural diplomacy, would the worldwide cultural influence of China reach levels 30x greater than South Korea?
Heavily censored popular media makes it hard to become a cultural powerhouse.
That's true. Korea itself only developed its cultural industry abroad when the government relaxed censorship rules.
Re: The $40M bet that made South Korea a food and cultural power
#34South Korea is reaping the dividend of the demographic transition right now. They are where Japan was in the 1980s. They played their cards very well and were able to build up both hard and soft power during the growth years.
Hopefully they don’t experience Japans “Lost Decades”, where since ~1991, economically the national has stagnated. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Decades
Hopefully America isn't about to experience the exact same thing. The similarities abound as our population grays and reproduction is at all time lows.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN?location...
US net migration is declining drastically also.
Re: The $40M bet that made South Korea a food and cultural power
#35Another great example of diplomacy through food would be Thailand. Thai chefs come to America, start Thai restaurants here, promote their incredible food and wonderful hospitality. In-turn, I can't wait to visit Thailand one day, and you can bet I have a favorable view of Thai people if they happen to get into an argument with someone!
It is mentioned in the article, saying that "Thailand was the first country to launch a formal gastrodiplomacy plan with its 2002 Global Thai campaign." About Thai food, it is interesting to note that Pad Thai, often considered to be the national dish, was in fact made for that purpose. Originating from the mid 20th century, it is hardly traditional. That doesn't make it less delicious, and while it is one of the mos…
I think the government is vastly overestimating their role in creating demand for regional food.
Re: The $40M bet that made South Korea a food and cultural power
#36I think Thai food is just really appropriate for the Western palette, it's way better than the ultra-westernized 'not real Chinese' food of the 1970s, and my experience with Korean is that it's a lot of vinegared/pickled stuff - robust and super healthy but just not as easily engaged as Thai.
Re: The $40M bet that made South Korea a food and cultural power
#37There is a graphic showing number of restaurants in selected countries and comparing to other cuisines. According to that there were only 2024 Chinese restaurants in 2009. I find this very hard to believe. TripAdvisor lists 500+ in Sydney alone!
2024 Korean restaurants in China in 2009
Re: The $40M bet that made South Korea a food and cultural power
#38South Korea has only 40 million people yet has a significant worldwide cultural influence, definitely punching above its weight. I wonder if China were to implement the same tactics South Korea uses for cultural diplomacy, would the worldwide cultural influence of China reach levels 30x greater than South Korea?
Yea no, C-pop is not has good as K-pop.
It’s a nonstarter.
Re: The $40M bet that made South Korea a food and cultural power
#39Another great example of diplomacy through food would be Thailand. Thai chefs come to America, start Thai restaurants here, promote their incredible food and wonderful hospitality. In-turn, I can't wait to visit Thailand one day, and you can bet I have a favorable view of Thai people if they happen to get into an argument with someone!
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Re: The $40M bet that made South Korea a food and cultural power
#40This is only tangential but I remember how sushi used to be a “weird” food to most Americans. Probably as recently as 10 or 15 years ago. And now its everywhere. Its right in the mix with pizza and tacos for standard restaurant niches. I see it in rural grocery stores very far away from any sort of big city. I think kimchi just doesnt have that kind of broad appeal but who knows. This is not to deny the effectiveness…
Kimchi is actually starting to pop up in surprising places away from city centers (my rural grocery store has some) but it sits around and by the time I got some, it was... not fresh. Sushi has the benefit of needing to be consumed fresh, except for fake crab which freezes well enough that you can find "sushi" at quite a few out of the way gas stations as well. Having access to an asian grocery store with fresh bean…
Kimchi don't have to be "fresh", it's preference.