One of the topics I wanted to learn more about was Korean food. Recently, I've noticed that fusion seems to be a huge thing in Korea - and there is so much more to Korean food than Korean BBQ and Kimchi. I wanted to explore how the cuisine has evolved, and did a little research on the internet.
One of the articles I read discussed two Korean Americans who opened up a Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant in Seoul. The owner states that as a child, he had a lot of Korean BBQ items in his fridge, and would often throw these items in a tortilla and make himself a taco without thinking of it as "fusion." Then he simply took what he used to eat often as a child and turned it into a menu for his restaurant.
He also said that there was a time where "gyopos" who are Koreans who grew up abroad were not fully accepted into the Korean culture because they had different cultural backgrounds or sometimes because they could not speak Korean or spoke with an accent. This situation was made even worse because gypos were also often not accepted in the countries they lived in because of different looks, origins, etc. However, thanks to Korean dishes with foreign influences, gypos are becoming more accepted as Korean fusion continues to expand into the food and beverage market.
I know from outside this article that Korean fusion food - especially Korean-Mexican is becoming increasingly common. I see it at food trucks, the frozen food isle, many restaurants, etc. Compared to other types of Asian foods like Chinese or Japanese, I feel like Korean food has always been much less known throughout the world. Thanks to fusion items which are becoming common in the US, people are becoming much more aware of Korean cuisine and therefore Korean culture.
It was interesting to see that just the expansion of Korean fusion can make a new culture in both Korea and foreign countries such as the US. It definitely helped me see the importance of food in culture and what impact it can have even abroad in other countries.
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