|
Perhaps riding the Korean Wave surging across East Asia, with the Korean drama ¡°Daejanggeum (The Great Janggeum)¡± enjoying record ratings in Hong Kong, Korea's traditional rice dish bibimbap sees new-found popularity as airline food.
Korean Air said Monday the popularity of Korean drama and food in China, Southeast Asia and Japan meant more and more passengers were asking for bimbimbap.
The airline previously served the dish in economy class only on Oceania sectors and beyond but has since November been offering bibimbap on flights to Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore, Jakarta and Bombay.
Especially in Hong Kong, where "Daejanggeum" emptied streets during its run, bibimbap fever is spreading -- so much so that the airline is considering increasing supplies of the dish on its Hong Kong route from the current 40 percent.
"Daejanggeum" tells the tale of a palace cook who later becomes the King's personal physician in the Chosun era and thus spends much time dealing with traditional Korean foods.
Korean Air had served 15 million bowls of bibimbap since it started offering them in 1997.
The popularity of the accompanying red pepper sauce is increasing apace. Inflight sales of red pepper paste went from 400 sets a month in 2003 to 1,000 sets this year. The company said more and more overseas passengers ask for red pepper paste to season chicken and beef dishes.
"The taste and quality of our bibimbap is so good that it is said that when Michael Jackson visited Korea in 1998, all he ate at the hotels here was bibimbap after he tried the bibimbap on the Korean Air flight over,¡± the airline said. ¡°We are also working on new Korean dishes to serve on flights."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
