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wylies99 · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200809/200809010019.html

What Seoul Food Fest Can Learn From Singapore

Josh last Thursday visited Cheonggye Plaza, where Seoul Food Festival was being held. But the 24-year-old American just walked back and forth. "I don�t have the courage to taste the food because I don't know what�s in it."

The Seoul Food Festival from Aug. 22 to 31 was meant to publicize the excellence of Korean food to the world and develop it as a tourist attraction. It was an ambitious project by the Seoul city government with a budget of W950 million (US$1=W1,089). But experts said the festival seemed to focus on selling food rather than attracting tourists and publicizing Korean cuisine.

The Singapore Food Festival on July 4-27, which has grown into a world-renowned event since it was launched 15 years ago, offers interesting points of comparison.

◆ Singapore seeks customer-centered service

Last Thursday, no posters, placards or pamphlets on Seoul Food Festival were available at the tourist information center of Incheon International Airport. The scene was quite different at Singapore�s Changi International Airport on July 11, when big posters and signboards for the Singapore Food Festival filled the ceiling and other parts of the airport.

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◆ Poor English-language services in Seoul

English labels were being added for food at Cheonggye Plaza as late as Friday afternoon. The Five Tastes of Korea Exhibition Hall was the only venue that had provided English-language services from the beginning of the festival.

At Namsangol Hanok Village, Korean seasonal foods were described only as "minarimuchim" (seasoned dropwort), "jeonbokcho (seasoned abalone)," and "dureupnamul" (seasoned shoots of a fatsia). No foreigner would know what they are. Neither sales people nor guides at Cheonggye Plaza could answer simple English questions, such as "What's this?"

A Seoul city official said, "We deployed at least one English-Korean interpreter at every venue, but that�s not enough." <br>
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◆ Lots of tastings in Singapore

The Seoul Food Festival distributed a guidebook called "Introduction to 10 Korean Foods." But it was hard to find foods other than bibimbap (boiled rice with assorted vegetables), traditional alcoholic beverages and bulgogi (sliced and seasoned broiled beef).

Singapore also chose 10 "Must-Try Local Favorites," and visitors could sample them foods at downtown restaurants with their sampler coupons.

After looking around the Seoul festival, food critic Kang Ji-young said, "The festival looks like a food discount event for Koreans only, giving almost no thought to the convenience of foreign guests."

url: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200809/200809010019.html

wylies99 · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!

Fishead soup · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Location: Korea

The best Korean food can be found in restaurants that use makeshift garbage bins to cook the meat. I love these places.

Benicio · Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:49 pm Post subject:

Another "international" event, inside Korea, to "show the world" about Korean culture/food ends up being just geared towards locals- not accessible for non-Koreans.

There's a big f***ing surprise!

Cohiba · Joined: 01 Feb 2005

Hey Wylies, you got nothing better to do than reply to your own posts?

ciccone_youth · Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Location: Japan

i actually went to the Seoul Food Festival (i stumbled upon it while walking around downtown), and I must admit, it was not very tourist-friendly. All the signs were in Korean, there were just stalls selling food (rather than promoting it and having samples to taste). it felt like the festival was targeting Koreans. i was the only foreigner there, and it was pretty empty. that's too bad, because they really could do something great with it.

a creepy clown kept following me, too.

cj1976 · Joined: 26 Oct 2005

Singapore has cuisine. Korea has food. No comparison whatsoever.

jkelly80 · Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Location: you boys like mexico?

bangbayed · Joined: 01 Dec 2005 Location: Seoul

cj1976 · Joined: 26 Oct 2005

wylies99 · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!

R-Seoul · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Location: your place

Singapore sucks balls, it's like one big mall. Not known as Singa-bore for nothing. Seoul is such a better place to live.

Pooty · Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Location: Ela stin agalia mou

Be that as it may RSeoul, Korea has a long way to go when it comes to how it treats guests from abroad. My wife's boss came to Korea four months ago from Singapore to run the branch office in Seoul and he absolutely hates the way Koreans treat foreigners. I'm having dinner with him this Friday night, and I'm looking forward to comparing stories with him. I wish Bassexpander would show up with his microphone and broadcast this guy, he's cool as hell. Singapore and other Asian countries are light years ahead of Korea when it comes to how they accomodate foreigners.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

I had to laugh. The express bus terminal in gangnam has a mall with a "world food court". This means 14 Korean food kiosks and 1 Burger King.

The Perfect Cup of Coffee · Joined: 17 Jun 2007

Made the mistake of planning a Saturday around that non-event. Would've had a better time wandering around the food court at COEX to be honest.

If I were the organizer I'd be sending reps out to Singapore, Japan, and Europe and get some feedback on how proper food festivals are run. Enough with a few stalls selling the same old tired deokbokki & chicken skewers (Who needs a food festival when anyone can find that stuff in Jongno?)

1. Get a few major corporate sponsors to kick in for supplies and ingredients

2. Have one venue rather than a half dozen scattered locations - all NOT within walking distance.

3. FREE SAMPLES!

4. FOOD CONTESTS!

5. Focus on food, but make it fun.