Foreign tourists grade Korean cuisine a 'C' "just average"

Article: Foreigners rate Korean food "just average" satisfaction... 'C' grade

Source: Yonhap News via Naver

810 foreign tourists (350 Chinese, 190 Asians other than Chinese/Japanese, 126 Japanese, 59 North Americans, 43 Europeans, and 41 from other countries) were surveyed on how satisfied they were with Korean food and the majority gave it a 'C' grade.

North Americans were the most satisfied, rating it 82.44%, the Japanese at 78.54%, Europeans at 77.82%, and others at 76.37%.

Dishes that were most eaten/tried:
Bibimbap 72.5%
Bulgogi 60.6%
Samgyupsal 57.2%
Chicken 51.1%
Rice cakes 51%
Kimbap 46.4%

Most delicious:
Bibimbap 34.8%
Bulgogi 33.3%
Samgyupsal 29.9%
Chicken 19%
Galbi 14.9%

Most disliked:
Grilled fish 6.9%
Naengmyun 6.4%
Rice and stew 6.3%
Rice and wraps 5.6%
Bean paste stew 5.1%
Kimchi fried rice 4.9%

-

1. [+951, -121] Considering the price, Korean food tastes just whatever quality wise and a lot of MSG. You can get cheaper food with better taste in Chinese cuisine.

2. [+740, -27] Korean food's too expensive..

3. [+743, -98] I'd give it a D. Such small portions, I'd rather not eat Korean food at all. That's why most of the restaurants you see on the streets are Japanese.

4. [+393, -44] If you go to America, there are so many sushi restaurants easily accessible anywhere... while Korean food, you're limited to a few restaurants in Korea town. Korean food has nothing that stands out. Americans just put up with it if their Korean friends take them to eat at one but they don't really seem interested or like it at all. And the majority of Americans don't even know where Korea is on the map. Korean food Hallyu? That's a joke and a lie made up by media play.

5. [+129, -10] It's so stupid to me how Koreans care so much about the opinions of foreigners

6. [+103, -7] I've lived in America for 10 years and I've never seen my American friends voluntarily go to a Korean restaurant to eat bibimbap. They really like galbi, samgyupsal, and bullgogi but bibimbap is hard for them to relate to because there's nothing like it in their cuisine. I don't get why Koreans push to promote bibimbap all the time. It's hopeless, just give up ㅋㅋ

7. [+81, -3] When I worked at a foreign company, I ate with a lot of white people. Westerners freaked out over naengmyun.. they had trouble understanding the concept of cold soup and the texture of the noodles. They also hated rice cakes. I noticed Korea is also pushing to promote bibimbap but Westerners hate food that's all mixed up like that because it looks gross. And Westerners actually are obsessed with dried seaweed packs. Bulgogi is a hit or miss... Anyway, all I'm trying to say is that Korean food isn't that popular. You go to Japanese stores in Europe and they're usually owned by Koreans.

8. [+84, -23] Of course food like sushi is easier for foreigners to eat than bibimbap ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

9. [+53, -11] It's hard to ask a tourist who hasn't been in the country for long to properly gouge an opinion on our cuisine...

10. [+44, -14] Even Koreans rarely eat bibimbap ㅡㅡ Imagine going on a date and asking your s/o if she wants to eat bibimbap or rice and stew? Surely she'd break up with you

-