No, not that kind of survey (Credit: danakin on Twitter cc)

We’ve created a quick and entertaining survey to help us develop tours, classes, seminars, events, and apps that meet your needs. If you have five minutes to kill please fill it out. Oh, and you can check all that apply on most questions.

The article itself reconfirms much of what we have said here (and we’ve been criticized by kimcheerleaders and trolls for saying) and also frustrates us that so much money and energy was wasted and likely still will be wasted by the ajosshis-in-charge. I’ll post some choice quotes, and you tell me if they sound familiar.

Take the slogan “Korea, Sparkling”.

“It doesn’t make any sense because it’s not easy to interpret – what is sparkling? Is it the people? The springs? The brand has to be very easy to understand,” (Dr Charlotte Horlyck, a specialist in Korean art history at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies) said.

In fact, branding often works best when consumers themselves decide what’s iconic

”That’s one key thing we learned about branding Korea: let people outside Korea decide for themselves what they like.”

 

But according to one insider, the slogans and images for at least one recent government-funded campaign were chosen by a handful of South Korean experts – most of them male, and all of them over 40. Foreign consumers were only asked their opinion after the decision had been made, he said.

You can advertise your country to tourists, he said, but not actively ‘brand’ it. ”Branding is something that happens in the consumer’s mind.”

“Reputation is something you earn, not something you construct.”

 

(Brand policy advisor Simon Anholt) agreed. “My only criticism is that they’re still constantly publicizing the fact they want a better image,” he said.

”The first rule of propaganda is that, if you’re going to do a number on people, you shouldn’t warn them you’re about to do it.”

We’ve been running ZenKimchi Dining for a few years now. One of my frustrations is that I get info on restaurants much faster than I can go out and review them. But why keep all that to myself?

So I’ve started a new thing called Buzz Posts. These are very sparse posts of restaurants that people are talking about but haven’t been properly reviewed yet. I try to include as much information as possible, like map directions, Foursquare venue, and links to other bloggers (in English and Korean) who have been to these places. Hopefully from this you can figure out if you want to try it out yourself.

And if you do try it, please update the review on ZenKimchi Dining to help everyone else. Just submit a review or post what you can in the comments.

ALSO…

New restaurants on ZenKimchi Dining:

Braai Republic (South African, Itaewon)

Buzz Post: Bao (Asian Noodle Bar, Haebangcheon)

Buzz Post: Cook’n Heim (Burgers, Jongno)

Buzz Post: Namja Pizza (Pizza, Gangnam)

Buzz Post: Teppen (Japanese Izakaya, Hongdae)

105 South St. Grill

(Philly Cheesesteaks, Yangjae)

A few have asked about our new logo, which is something I’ve been wanting to take care of for a long time. It was about time to go for a more professionally designed logo that encapsulates what we do and gives an idea of our personality. We went through a lot of iterations, and Team ZenKimchi debated a lot, as did our followers on Facebook and Twitter. I had almost lost hope when a few ideas came to me. I tossed them to the design firm, and they came back with a lot more designs. One stood out. It was one of those things like a woman who doesn’t turn your head at first, but the more you look at her, the more interesting she looks. Then you become obsessed with her and think that she’s the most beautiful woman you have ever seen, and you can’t get her out of your head.

That’s how this logo is. Basically, it’s a Zen circle with the outline of an onggi–a kimchi pot. So it’s Zen… Kimchi. Get it?

I also wanted a brushed look that felt lively and animated, a little rustic with some modernist whimsy. I feel sorry for the designers having to fill that order. But they came through.

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• 카르베딜롤

We’re gonna take this a little seriously now.

This has been in the works for a couple of years now, but it’s only been recently that we’ve cut a few breaks. As of January 2nd, ZenKimchi–now ZenKimchi International–officially has its office–in the Yeouido business district–and we are currently working on articles of incorporation. This turn of luck has happened through the great programs that have recently been developed at the Seoul Global Center. Last September, I took a business start-up course for foreigners, and ever since the Global Center and really, the Seoul government itself, have been quite supportive of our business and other foreign entrepreneurs. They do networking meet-ups, introduce us to trade organizations, and help us even hook up with investment groups. I haven’t taken advantage of all of that yet.

Yet we now have the office. It is an incubation office, and we basically had to go through a thorough application process that included what I call ten-minute auditions in front of a board of experts. ZenKimchi was one of the seven businesses chosen for an incubation office.

Ours is located at the new IFC Tower 1–new as in still under construction. It’s like I’m in the second Death Star.

The view of the river is great. You can’t tell from that photo because it was hazy that day.

The interior of the Seoul Global Center is roomy and bright. The ceilings look like they go up three stories. I’m sharing the space with other friends from business class, and it feels like a Silicon Valley start-up environment.

So, if you want to give us a visit, we are usually here between 11 and 6. IFC Tower 1, near Yeouido and Yeouinaru Stations.

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This is another one of my favorite episodes. We did most of this with the new crew, and they were very efficient. This is a good food episode. We travel down the Nakdong River and hit Andong and Busan, two of my favorite towns. Here are some highlights and commentary.

• The shots of me on the train were the last ones we did.
• I don’t know what “Korean Smiles Along 500 Kilometers” means
• We shot the train opening for this episode the same time we shot parts of the Han River episode. We set everything up and waited for a train to show up. While it was transferring passengers, I quickly got on the train, waited for the director to yell, “Cue,” and did my opening bit (lotsa memorization). We did it three times. The one that was kept included my only flub, but it was minor.
• At Hwangji Pond, even though we were supervised by a park official, there were still old men who took it upon themselves to tell us we couldn’t film at the pond. We filmed a lot there, and very little ended up in the final cut. We were also fighting sporadic showers.
• Anyone who follows this blog knows how much I love Andong and Hahoe Village. I was so happy to return there.
• I think this is why the second crew took over in the middle of this episode. The opening and Hwangji Pond were shot by the original crew. But there was a lot of talk about their inefficiency. Or rather, issues with time management. The Hwangji Pond bit took the whole afternoon, shooting a lot of stuff that was really unnecessary. Only two shots made it into the final cut. What really bugged us was that we traveled all the way down there by bus one day to meet the crew and shoot a scene in the mask museum near Hahoe Village. We then went to a place to go fish for catfish. Now, all of us knew that the weather was bad that weekend, but the director insisted. When we got there, the catfish fishing organizers said that they couldn’t do any fishing that weekend, so we cancelled the shoot for that whole weekend and went all the way back up to Seoul. Also I should note that the director was so hardcore in getting all this done that we couldn’t eat the whole time. Just one meal a day and maybe some kimbap. In the end, that entire weekend was a bust. The entire mask museum scene was cut out. I just assumed that was the way that productions worked. But when we worked with the second crew, it was much different. Locations were organized well and shot quickly. And only one scene the entire time I worked with them didn’t make a show.
• It was HOT the day we went to Hahoe Village. I rode the ferry a few times, and we got footage. Then the director and camera guy decided to go up the mountain to get some more shots of Byeongsan Seowon. That was dedication. I stayed behind with the others and got hooked on orange slushies.
• We shot a lot of nice little scenes in the mazelike walkways of Hahoe Village. Since I had just been there a few months ago, I knew some good places to film.
• The mask dance was very cool. Though, yeah, since I was a foreigner and a foreigner on TV, I was the center of every gag and embarrassing bit. Look closely, and you see the bull pee in my face. They had a French guy (who briefly appears) and me go up there and dance. I would do it again, though–without the peeing-in-the-face part.
• Next–FOOD! And we ate most all the stars of Andong cuisine–JjimDalk (braised chicken), Shikhye (red rice punch), Gan Godeung-eo (salted mackerel), Heot Jesatbap (fake ceremonial food), and Andong-style Bibimbap. The cook let me film the entire process for making JjimDalk, which I will edit and post in the future.
• Miryang–home of the scariest love motel room I’ve ever seen. The scene that was cut was one where I made some buckwheat jelly with school kids. It was a dull scene anyway. But the fish catching scene was amusing. As always, we used a stunt fish. The bottom of the pond was made up of slippery round stones, so it was almost impossible to get your footing, and it was very possible to twist an ankle. So I was trying to be careful despite my new friends’ carefree attitude. But those guys said they had been doing this since they were kids. After the fishing scene, we went to the riverbank, where a bunch of families were camped out. One tent had some roasted dog meat, where I got my second taste of this–nah, I wouldn’t call it a delicacy. But the ginger salad was good. My friends cleaned the catfish in the river and skewered them on bamboo spears. They cooked them over a campfire like hot dogs, and they were seriously the best fish I’ve ever tasted in my life. The muddy catfish meat was the perfect sponge for the wood smoke. That was up there in my best meals of 2011 list.
• That night they had me go into this mushroom looking house-slash-hotel-slash-restaurant. It was surreal looking. They had me say some lines after opening the window in just the right way. We had to do that bit a few times because I couldn’t always open the window perfectly.
• We went straight down to Busan, got out on the beach a bit, checked into our motel, and went out for  a few beers. Fun crew.
• I was originally supposed to do some jet skiing. Then I was supposed to swim in an aquarium tank with some sharks. That all got changed. Instead I just wandered around the film festival area eating street food. A crazy old man kept dancing in front of the camera. He then went up and stole my hoddeok. The director chased him off and told us to hide in this building until they were finished filming.
• We went to Jagalchi Fish Market. Stinkier than Noryangjin but still cool. I had a great time there. Check out the surprise on my face when that octopus started clinging to my arm.
• The seafood feast was the other great meal of the trip. I had my fill of raw fish for a long, long time. This was the scene where everyone really scratched their heads on what the writer was thinking. Obviously she had never spent any time outside of Korea, and her concepts of foreigners were based on stereotypes, what is called a “frog in the well” perception of the world. The script called for me to eat the sashimi and mention something like how it tasted like my mom’s food. That was a fun line to rewrite.
• The rest of the trip was a blur. We woke up early, and the camera guy went to the top of a tower to film me on a beach. That was some good coordination in cueing. We then went to some ecological areas and monuments. I just remember how beautiful the Busan cityscape was and the heat.

Photos from the episode are here.

NOTE: The contest is now over, but you can still watch the video.

So, now that you’ve unwrapped that new tablet computer and have set it up, you can check out this new Facebook app that our friends at Seoul in the City worked on. Very clever video that puts four of your Facebook friends into the movie.

Step into Seoul

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In the culture hall, they had exhibits on people globalizing Korean cuisine. ZenKimchi fave Hooni Kim and his restaurant Danji had a nice showing.

These were taken with my Galaxy S phone, and something smeared on the lens. Kinda has a Xanadu feel.

Some new sauces are coming out. In fact, I’ve already seen them at my E-Mart. Soy sauces with lemon and ginger flavors and something called “Pickle Sauce,” which I think is for quick home pickling.

CJ had an exhibit of the products they were exporting to Japan and America. This fancy looking makkolli was for Japan.

Here’s the array, under the Bibigo label. The exports to America are mostly sauces, seaweed, and instant rice.

Some sweet wines, called Muju, were popular. The blueberry I liked–not by itself, but it would be a good cocktail mixer.

Jeju abalone shell trinkets. A lot like mother of pearl. And inexpensive too.

In the Andong section, they had their famous version of shikhye–a sweet rice punch.

And you gotta have your Andong soju, in classic bottle form

or Hahoe mask form

or golf club form?

Here was one of the big finds. An Andong company is developing a Korean proscuitto with the name Corescuitto. They had no samples yet.

They did have a model, though. This was a topic of heated debate among my friends. Part of it was, “That’s some gall to outright copy Italian prosciutto techniques.” But the other side was, “Yet they’re using Korean pork, which is good quality. And it will be cheaper.”

The Jeju section was my favorite. They were showcasing a lot of products, including this Herb Water. Very different take on bottled water with lemongrass and rosemary flavors. They also had “Herb Cool” body spray, which I have a sample of at home. Makes your skin feel cool like a Peppermint Patty.

This is also where I had found the Yeonggyul, which I had posted about earlier.

The gadgets section had a few finds, like this draft makkolli machine. I think they missed the point of the enjoyment of both draft beer and the enjoyment of makkolli. Draft beer is tapped fresh from a keg so you get the freshest flavors. Makkolli’s character comes from its natural carbonation. This machine kills both of those. The method is to pour bottles of makkolli into the machine. It spins the liquid to cool it down while also agitating the bubbles. You end up with a flat glass of makkolli. It’s like pouring bottles of beer into a washing machine and drinking them from a spout.

So yeah, they missed the point.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This machine sucks the dust off your shoes. I wish I could just watch the customers’ reactions at the first restaurant that installs this.

I also sampled a lot of makkolli in the process. My favorite was this one. Ginseng-infused makkolli. The reddish brown bottle had the fullest flavor. Very earthy natural and uniquely Korean flavor.

That’s all I have from this year. The Andong proscuitto and Jeju yeonggyul were promising. Not so sure about the draft makkolli.

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It’s all over Korean TV now. I’m getting lots of updates on Twitter. If you want to know what’s going on in South Korea I am retweeting interesting updates I’m finding @ZenKimchi and @KingSejong.

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This was the first episode we filmed, starting in late May. Most of the time they chose my wardrobe, so don’t think I normally dress in lime sherbert cardigans. Here are some highlights, commentary, and trivia from the shoot:

• Got to experience my first temple stay, and I recommend this particular temple for anyone wanting to try
• CUT SCENE: I got to ring the big bell at the temple
• We really did wake up at three a.m. for the Buddhist temple stay
• We did 108 bows in that room, so that’s why it looks like I’m sweating during the meditation part. I am sweating.
• Intern Seong-eun also did the temple stay and the baru meal. She’s next to me in a lot of shots. She hated it. But I liked the food. We then went for a second breakfast after that.
• Lots of Pyeongchang’s local buckwheat dishes
• Man, I ate so much buckwheat there that I don’t think I can have anymore for a long time.
• Novelist Lee Hyo-suk’s birthplace
• The museum scene took a long time to film because tourists kept wandering into shots
• ATV stunt riding
• During a shot the cameraman jumped on the back of an ATV and barely held on as we went down a bumpy dirt path, shooting my ATV behind him.
• Right before my speech on the ATV, I crashed into a ditch and banged myself up pretty badly. Can’t tell, huh? Bruises took a month to heal.
• Mountain coaster = FUN!
• I think we rode the mountain coaster six times for all the shots. Those other people are the crew.
• Paragliding
• I was actually scared, and my tandem coach was a bit nervous that I was too heavy.
• The scene where the paraglider takes off and I talk to the camera had to be done in one take, obviously. And I improvised that.
• The harness is quite snug in certain gonadial regions.
• Dig that animal print lining in my helmet!
• Notice that we drop off pretty quickly after leaving the ground. I swear we missed the trees by only a few feet.
• A scene about Korea’s traditional heating system, kudeul
• The guy I’m talking to was a hoot. He was also the village chief.
• The food we had was in my top five best meals of the series. Very simple local organic vegetables. Lively flavors.
• I had to sleep in a specially made model one-room cabin. It was already heated for my stay, but they wanted to do a scene where the chief stoked the fire for the room. So I had double the heat that summer evening. I was swimming in my own sweat.
• After the dinner scene, it was late, and I had assumed we were finished. We had been filming since four that morning. So I was very tired and had just brushed my teeth and was heading to bed when they wanted me to come out and do the fire stoking and looking at my laptop scenes. I was not happy.

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