Food Culture

Korean-Style Tacos Move From West to East - NYTimes.com

TOMAS LEE has long dreamed of selling American consumers on Korean barbecue.  Mr. Lee, a 42-year-old native of Seoul, South Korea, who grew up in Mustang, Okla., took a step toward realizing that dream in October 2009 when he opened Hankook Taqueria in Atlanta, serving tacos stuffed with soy- and garlic-marinated beef, along with chicken and pork, all barbecued in the Korean style.

“I was going to open a traditional Korean barbecue restaurant,” Mr. Lee said. Then his wife, Mackenzie, had an idea. “She saw this thing about Kogi on the Web,” he recalled. “And I thought tacos might be a way to get Korean food on everybody’s table.”

What captured Ms. Lee’s attention was Kogi Korean BBQ-To-Go, a retrofitted catering truck that rolled onto the streets of Southern California in November 2008, selling corn tortillas piled with Korean-style barbecued short ribs known as kalbi, garnished with onion, cilantro and a hash of chili-soy-dressed lettuce.

Eighteen months later, dozens of entrepreneurs across the country are selling Korean tacos. Like Buffalo wings and California rolls, Korean tacos have gone national, this time with unprecedented speed. Few of these entrepreneurs appear to have made pilgrimages to Southern California to eat at a Kogi truck. (There are now five.) Many, especially those of Korean ancestry, say they studied news media reports of the Kogi concept, recognized their culture at the core, and made the concept their own.

“You get the feeling that this is our chance to mainstream Korean food,” said Jae Kim, a Seoul native, selling Korean tacos since February at his Chi’Lantro truck in Austin, Tex. “And it’s happening so quickly. It’s like everybody is realizing that it’s now or never.”

via www.nytimes.com

QUESTIONS for Zagat Survey

Food Culture recently had the opportunity to speak with the people behind the Zagat Survey, the publisher of those ubiquitous, burgundy-colored restaurant, travel, and entertainment guides -- and stickers we see on the door or window once we enter a restaurant.  What to expect?  More mobile products and content.

How has the demand for user-generated reviews grown in the last ten, five or even one year?

Our business, from its beginning in 1979, has been based on the simple premise that the shared opinions of thousands of avid customers are inherently more accurate than the opinions of just one or two critics. The term “user generated content” had yet to be coined. The demand for user generated reviews has grown enormously in the past few years.

How do you source your reviewers?  Has that changed over time?

Since we began in 1979, we have targeted frequent, knowledgeable customers to be our surveyors. While we actually knew most of the original 200 surveyors, obviously we do not personally know our current 375,000 surveyors worldwide. However, we still target the same type of people.

Do you see Yelp as a competitor?

Zagat Survey is unique in the way we create our content. Our goal is to provide the most accurate and reliable ratings and reviews to enable consumers to make smart decisions and take action. We have achieved that goal by maintaining strict standards in our surveying process and avoiding conflicts.

Does Zagat see greater demand for its digital products than for its books and traditional publishing products?

While the demand for our digital products is growing fastest, we have taken a “platform agnostic” approach to our products, making our content available to consumers wherever and whenever they want it – in book form, on ZAGAT.com, via downloadable applications for iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry and smartphones, and ZAGAT.mobi, a universally accessible mobile website. While we are proud to be the best-selling restaurant guides in bookstores, we are equally proud that our iPhone application is the highest-grossing iPhone travel app.

Have you closed or "sunsetted" some product lines because there was lack of demand?

We are always experimenting with different areas of travel and leisure and evolving to fit the needs of our consumers. As we focus our efforts on our digital products, in smaller U.S. and European cities, we now offer exclusively online and mobile content.

In what lifestyle category do you see the fastest growth for demand of your products (wine, cruises, restaurants in a particular city, etc.)?  What's next or on the horizon for Zagat?

This year we are focusing on the expansion of our mobile business, including our already exciting applications for iPhone and Android that feature offline capability and augmented reality (among other features), with much more around the bend.  We are particularly proud of our Zagat Wine Club, which has proven successful since its launch in September 2009.

QUESTIONS for Maralyn Hill, President of the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association

Helming a trade association with the words "food," "wine" and "travel" in the title may seem like a dream gig for anyone interested in pursuing the good life. (And nowadays, let's face it, who isn't?)  Food Culture recently caught up with Maralyn D. Hill, President of the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), http://www.ifwtwa.org, to learn more about the challenges of being a lifestyle journalist, how food and luxury goods companies covet this elite group, and why the average person is reading more about food. 

Maralyn D. Hill, President, International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association

Hometown     Chicago

First Job        Flight Attendant, American Airlines

Favorite Food Personality      Julia Child (deceased); Paul Bocuse (living)

What I'm Reading Right Now   WordPress 24-Hour Trainer, by George Plumley; Roadside Crosses, by Jeffery Deaver

As President of the IFWTWA, how have you seen membership change over time?

The International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association was aptly named, as we hold the unique distinction of covering the three aspects of a destination and culture -- the food, wine and travel. The changes I’ve seen over the past three years while serving on the Board are a more diverse membership with respect to age and writing genre, increased involvement of more members, and a full Board of Directors. 

Has it grown, and why? 

There are many reasons for our growth. 

When I was elected to the Board of Directors in 2006, we brought in a new webmaster to redesign our IFWTWA and Global Writes ezine sites so they were not static. They are a work in progress as everything is being changed to meet current needs of our members and potential members seeking a professional organization. 

We started offering media trips again.

Global Writes started publishing on a regular basis with new articles by our members going up weekly. The articles are promoted through RSS feeds, TravMedia.com, Food4Media.com, Travel4Press, Tripatini, and Linkedin, among other sites.

We started social networking. This has added a tremendous awareness of IFWTWA being an organization on the move. Our social networking groups are open to members and those interested in learning more about what we do.

HAVE YOU TRIED Fish Stock?

Nothing adds depth of flavor to a dish like homemade chicken stock, but what about fish stock?  It's easier to make than you think, and can lend a unique flavor you hadn't had in awhile.  (Cooking it does not cause unpleasant odors as you would expect.)

A recent weekend in Columbus, Ohio included a trip to the famous North Market in the trendy downtown Short North district.  The fishmonger ("The Fish Guys") offered beautiful salmon heads, and my good friend Abra decided to buy 7 lbs worth and make a fish stock.

 

Below is a recipe from Epicurious -- adapt for your needs as appropriate.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Strong-Fish-Stock-105266

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, very thinly sliced
4 stalks celery, very thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, very thinly sliced
2 dried bay leaves
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and stems
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 large (6 inches long or more) or 2 small (4 inches long or less) fish heads from cod or haddock, split lengthwise, gills removed, and rinsed clean of any blood
2 1/2 to 3 pounds fish frames (bones) from sole, flounder, bass, and/or halibut, cut into 2-inch pieces and rinsed clean of any blood
1/4 cup dry white wine
About 2 quarts very hot or boiling water
Kosher or sea salt

Healthy Numbers: World's Largest Natural and Organic Products Tradeshow Sets Record Attendance

In its thirtieth year, Natural Products Expo West/SupplyExpo, a tradeshow for the natural, organic, and healthy products industry, continues to grow in industry attendance, clocking in 5% growth in attendance over that of last year -- indicating no slowdown in the market.

Natural Products Expo West/SupplyExpo, (http://www.expowest.com, http://www.supplyexpo.com), celebrated its 30th anniversary, March 11-14, 2010, at the Anaheim Convention Center. The event drew nearly 56,000 attendees from across the industry, brining together entrepreneurs and established natural products alumni, indicating a strong market outlook for growth.

Nutrition industry sales totaled approximately $110 billion in the U.S. in 2009, up $10 billion from 2008, according to Nutrition Business Journal. 

"While the economy recovers, the natural and organic industry continues to grow," said Adam Andersen, show manager for Natural Products Expo West, in a statement.

Natural Products Expo West/SuppyExpo encompassed more than 1 million sq. ft. of education, community and business events and exhibits, including 654 new exhibitors for brands entering the market. 

This fall, Natural Products Expo East unites the natural and organic industry in Boston, October 13-16, 2010.

The event was produced by New Hope Natural Media, a division of Penton Media Inc.

Inviting Japan Over for Dinner

Cynthia Lin, Contributing Writer, Food Culture

The culture of American cuisine has long been a hodgepodge of various ethnic influences. Whether we merge regional elements and call it “fusion” or transform outlandish entrees into All-American icons, what’s eaten here is really a melting pot of global victuals. 

Take the hot dog and hamburger, each of German origin, yet so symbolic of the States. Then there’s the pizza, obviously Italian, but such a big part of our social diet.  Or, of course, General Tso’s Chicken – explicitly Chinese, but exclusively American.

At last week’s International Restaurant and Foodservice Show of New York, the showroom traffic at the grand culinary affair in the Javits Center seemed to perpetuate this trend. The crowds were disproportionately concentrated at the northern end of the grounds. It wasn’t the aisles exhibiting the latest in restaurant technology or innovative marketing. It wasn’t the lane displaying local farming. It wasn’t the gelato-packed dessert carts. 

It was the community of booths housed under a banner labeled “Flavors of Japan.”

Ted Allen's Rules of Cheapskate Dining

In the "Ask Ted" column in the March 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine, Ted Allen offers advice on how to take advantage of -- but also be respectful of -- restaurants that are offering dining specials.  Every major U.S. city now offers a "Restaurant Week" (such events held in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. have already taken place this year, most likely to drum up business in the slow, post-holiday season), and most casual-dining chains are launching more specials than ever.  Here is a quick primer.

Ted's Rules of Cheapskate Dining

• Avoid discount menus for first dates, anniversaries or Valentine's Day.  Trust me:  It will cost you more in the end.
• Eat. Then, leave. Don't work on your journal when you're paying half of what the real estate normally commands.
• Don't penalize the waiter.  He's doing the same work, but now his tips are being calculated off shrunken checks.  Have a heart:  Base your tip on the regular price and give at least 20 percent.
• If you're getting an entree for half of what it would normally cost, don't be high-maintenance about substitutions, special requests or anything else.
• And, please: Don't steal the Splenda.

Zagat: Texans Eat Out More Often Than Anywhere Else in U.S.

Austin and Houston Diners Report Dining Out the Most in America

Though Texas Is Home to Nation's Best Value Dining, Prices Soar

Dining and leisure ratings publisher Zagat released the results of its latest Texas Restaurants survey today, with detailed local information, ratings and reviews on its website, mobile website, and mobile application Zagat to Go.   

The exclusively-digital results include coverage of 1,818 restaurants in Austin/Hill Country, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Each restaurant was visited an average of 490 times in the past year.

San Francisco, Dipped in Chocolate

Ben Horvath, Contributing Writer, Food Culture

The City by the Bay takes food very seriously. Let me rephrase that – they take good food seriously. Not to say they are food snobs -- nothing could be farther from the truth. Since I have arrived I have found four foods that you should experience: chocolate, bread, seafood and dim sum. I am a firm believer in eating dessert first, and by first, I mean chocolate. For anyone that loves chocolate – whether milk or dark, bitter or sweet, bar or truffle – San Francisco is a must-visit. I love it all. Okay, that is a lie. I like it dark and sweet. Here are four places you shouldn't miss.

Oliver Twist: Jamie Oliver to Teach Americans About 'Proper Food'

I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It's time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food! 

-- Jamie Oliver

 

ABC has announced that Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, a new reality series produced by American Idol host Ryan Seacrest and starring the British chef as he provides a healthy, culinary makeover of residents of the city of Huntington, WV, will premiere on Friday, March 26 at 9PM ET/PT. 

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution will follow Oliver as he travels to Huntington -- which was labeled "the unhealthiest city in America" by The Associated Press in 2008 -- to start a new initiative that utilizes local resources to improve eating habits.

 

"The time is right for people to rediscover the sense of pride, satisfaction and fun you can get from cooking for the people you love. There's an incredible community in Huntington, and I want this experience to be a celebration of what we can achieve when people come together," said Oliver.  "I want to prove that turning around the epidemic of obesity and bad health doesn't have to be boring or dull in the slightest. Wonderful stories will unfold in Huntington, and hopefully this will inspire the rest of the States." 

Judging from the trailer, Oliver will mostly focus on school lunches and children's nutrition as a way to tackle the problem.  Clearly, the six-episode series is loosely based on Oliver's U.K. series Jamie's Ministry of Food and Jamie's School Dinners, which were both aimed at improving children's nutrition. 

As told to the New York Times' Mark Bittman in the January/February issue of Cooking Light -- click on video excerpts of that interview here -- Oliver feels that, "if I'm really clever, in the next nine months we can tell a story that inspires people, upsets them enough, and makes them understand that change is easy and it doesn't necessarily involve spending more money."

According to Oliver, "proper food" is food from scratch.  "If you could at least half of the time buy, or do yourself, something that was remotely scratch-based, you probably could fix 98 percent of the [nutrition] problems in America.  It's so much more than just 'eat less.'"

He goes on to discuss how arming the public with basic cooking skills -- stewing, roasting, stir-frying -- and access to fresh or frozen ingredients can create simple, great meals.

Bittman asks Oliver what will happen when he gets people to cook proper food half the time.  Oliver responds, 

Well, this sounds a bit romantic, but if once, twice, or even three times a week people cooked, and sat around the table with their family, that would have a dramatic impact on the whole country.  I think kids would be happier, marriages would fail less.

Let's bring on the revolution.

“Meals on Wheels,” of Sorts

Robyn Tenenbaum, Contributing Writer, Food Culture

You know how people always say you’re supposed to find your perfect match when you’re not looking? Well, today that happened to me. I didn’t find my dream man but, I did, however, find the perfect place to satisfy my indecisive lunch craving. When you get tired of eating at the same old same old places for lunch, where do you turn? At that very moment of hesitation, I found the best-kept secret.

Nestled in a small, vacant lot between a pizza joint and a bohemian vintage shop, the “Bomb Taco” trailer is surely an unknown treasure. I don’t know if it was the ornate graffiti plastered on the side of the stand, or the thrill of buying my early afternoon lunch out of the side of a window that made my breakfast taco that much better.

Clearly, the Bomb 

A Beginner's Lesson in Bramborak

Joanna Bettelheim, Contributing Writer, Food Culture

The soul of a culture is in its food.  You can spend hours wandering the streets of a city, but if you don’t eat, you’re just a visitor (and McDonald's doesn't count).  In the herbs and the spices, the cream, and occasionally the grease, you taste the place.  This sense tells you more than the viewing of its historical monuments, the sounds of the guided tours, or the smell of the streets.

Two years ago, I spent a semester abroad in Prague with NYU.  The main driving force behind my choice of destination was in order to reconnect with the Czech half of my heritage, and in doing so I made sure to sample plenty of traditional dishes.  Heaps of zeli, piles of dumplings, and several servings of svickova marked my time there.  But for all these wonderful meals, I had yet to be involved in the cooking or preparing of them.  It was not until I made potato pancakes, or bramborak, that I crossed the boundary between diner and cook – between visitor and bona fide Czech.

 

Though her two sons have moved out, my cousin Barbora still cooks weekly Saturday lunches for them and her father; during my stay in Prague, I joined the table for these weekly meals.  She must cook for seven, however, as she also supplies the family with leftovers to heat up on Sunday.  I became a part of these Saturday lunches, eating many meals made in a true Czech kitchen, but this was the first time I had stepped in to aid in the preparation of one.  This is the story of how I learned to make potato pancakes.

“A Happy Meal”

Robyn Tenenbaum, Contributing Writer, Food Culture

A sandwich filled with cheesesteak, grilled chicken, mozzarella sticks, french fries and honey mustard? If there is any city in which such an eccentric hodgepodge of ingredients exist, it is the city of weirdness itself, Austin, Texas. Could this unlikely combo of fixin’s be the next big thing, or just a night spent in the bathroom with a bottle of Maalox? 

Open until 4am, “Big Bite Pizza and Grill” offers thirty-four of these bizarre sandwiches to its customer base consisting largely of college students.  While the night owls who eat at this joint probably can’t soberly read the menu anyways, its unique list of options is what keeps everyone coming…and talking. 

If you were to mention the name “Big Bite” on the UT campus, you would probably get a respoe like “isn’t that the place where they have weird sandwiches?” Customers of all kind flock to this restaurant to dive into these cleverly named, “Phat Sandwiches.” The buzz about Big Bite is highly overwhelming – and with a menu as entertaining as theirs, there is no surprise.

My roommate has actually walked in on me sitting on our couch reading the Big Bite menu (for fun) and highlighting the craziest sandwiches I can find. If you don’t think your stomach can handle some of the combinations, I suggest you at least read through the menu, just for kicks. 

Try the “Phat Mouse”: Chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, French fries, mayo and ketchup.  How about the “Phat Elvis”: Gyro meat, mozzarella sticks, French fries and statziki sauce. Or a personal favorite, the “Phat Soprano”: grilled chicken, bacon, French fries and pesto sauce. Not only are such concoctions popular, they are surprisingly tasty. To its more conservative customers (those with the weaker stomachs), Big Bite also has other items in its expansive menu. Pizza, burgers, wraps, buffalo wings, paninis, and subs are among the other tame item choices on the menu.

 

When dissected, the ingredients that comprise a classic Big Bite sandwich, aren’t too abnormal by themselves. In fact, mozzarella sticks and French-fries happen to be two very common staple foods in most young people’s diets, and not to mention, two of my favorite comfort foods. The beauty that Big Bite gives to its customers is the sense of youth and joy provided by a sandwich comprised of such unlikely ingredients put together.  Have you ever thought about how PB&J originated? I am almost positive that there had to have been people that considered the team of peanut butter and jelly to be a disagreeable duo for a sandwich. Now look how far PB&J has come. Furthermore, eating at Big Bite is almost like reliving those kitchen adventures we all had as kids. If my mother only had a penny for every time I bounced around the kitchen creating my own kooky dishes…

Big Bite offers more than just a “Phat Sandwich” to its consumers. It stirs up some lost sense of nostalgia from childhood that has long been tucked away. If you think about it, the restaurant ingeniously took everyone’s favorite foods (I call them happy foods) and fused them all together to create one big happy sandwich. No one should feel intimidated to try these menu items, but rather feel excited to explore a whole new realm of unique dining. I don’t think any professional chefs will be feasting there anytime soon, but for the average food lover, who could ask for more?