Why and how did Korean food suddenly become so popular?

I grew up in suburban America in the early 2000s, and my experience with Korean food was completely different from what it’s like now. When I brought Korean food for lunch, a lot of the white kids would make fun of the smell or say it looked weird, so I usually tried not to bring it.

Fast forward to today, and Korean BBQ, bibimbap, tteokbokki, and even convenience store-style Korean food seem to be everywhere. Kimchi is in mainstream grocery stores and people who never would’ve touched it back then are now actively seeking it out.

Can somebody explain what exactly changed? I’m wondering what the biggest turning point was that made Korean food go from being something people mocked to something that feels genuinely mainstream, especially in America. (I don’t know what the perception of Korean food is like in other countries/continents like South Am and Europe) so I’m mainly talking about America here.

submitted by /u/savingrace0262
[link] [comments]

Latest News from Korea

Latest Entertainment from Korea

Learn People & History of Korea