So what Korean food do foreigners like?  The winner is bibimbop and bulgogi.  This according to a survey released by Corean Image Communication Institute.  Sixty percent of respondents said Korean food stands a good chance of going global because it is healthy and made with plenty of vegetables. But they said high sanitation standards and traditional design of restaurants is essential if that is to happen.

The survey asked 207 foreigners in influential positions such as global company staff and professors, 78.7 percent of respondents said they like Korean food. Asked why, the vast majority or 60.2 percent said because it tastes good. Some 16.6 percent cited curiosity about new cuisine and 14.2 percent nutritional value. Respondents who did not like eating Korean food cited taste, smell, interior design of restaurants and sanitation.

Bibimbap was the favorite Korean dish of 17 percent of respondents. Some 13.7 percent of respondents said they liked bulgogi best, while 11.5 percent favored Korean-style short ribs. Only 5.6 percent liked kimchi, Korea’s signature side dish of pickled cabbage. More than half of respondents or 58.5 percent said Korean food can be globalized.

Asked why, 36.7 percent answered because it was made with plenty of vegetables, 21.5 percent cited the rich taste and 18.9 percent said the varied range of dishes. Some 29.1 percent and 20.9 percent of surveyed people said spiciness and strong smell could be an obstacle to globalization. Some 20 percent of respondents said improved sanitation and Korean-style interior design of restaurants are imperative for globalization of Korean food.

Source: Chosun Ilbo

Did you know Gwyneth Paltrow loves Korean food and one of her favorite restaurants in New York is Korean (HanGawi).  This video below is a bit odd because it’s Gwyneth and her chef friend making the Korean dish bibimbop.  The caveat here is that they add a Japanese accent to their version of bibimbop to make it a Japanese/Korean fusion bibimbop.

Bibimbop is one of the most commonly eaten Korean dishes at restaurants and sometimes made at home.  In NYC, I’m seeing more variations of this fabulous Korean dish with kimchi and bulgogi mixed in or genip (leaf) and bulgogi mixed together.  It’s really a flexible dish that can be mixed and matched in different ways, whether you want it to be vegetarian like Gwyneth or carnivorous like many Korean men.

Here’s Gwyneth’s version of bibimbap that we found on her blog Goop.com.

Bibimbop, which roughly translates to “mix it up,” is essentially a rice bowl that you can adorn with whatever toppings you like. It’s a great vehicle for leftovers—a veritable ‘kitchen sink’ kind-of meal. The key is the Spicy Miso Sauce, which ties all the various parts together.