Cultural Globalization

Before I dive into my spiel, I would like to dissect the term “cultural globalization”. According to Dictionary.com, cultural is “of or pertaining to culture or civilization”, and globalization entails “extending to other or all parts of the globe; make worldwide: efforts to globalize the industry”. I really like the latter definition. Cultural globalization to me is summed up on one word: COMMERCIALIZATION; the popular culture of a particular society (media, music, movies, consumer goods) infiltrating another and being well-received and highly successful there. Sociologist George Ritzer coined the term “McDonaldlization” in his his book The McDonaldization of Society (1995) to describe “the process by which a society takes on the characteristics of a fast-food restaurant”.

Prominent examples that strike me include the commercial “sell-out” route Korean pop stars and drama serials are heading down. Take the popular K-Pop star BoA for example, born in Korea and trained in Japan, she is molded to appeal to both Korean and Japanese markets, thus doubling her popularity and revenue. The 2004 Chinese drama “Love of the Aegean Sea” is another example of cultural globalization—the drama itself imitated the typical Korean drama love story plot and contained a very multicultural cast, with the main male character a famos Taiwanese actor, and the female lead played by a popular Korean actress, and a mixed cast with talents from Taiwan, China and Korea (each actor drawing his or her own fan base from the home country). The Korean actress did not understand Chinese, so she simply read out her lines in Korean and was later dubbed in Chinese. I feel that this takes away from the whole organic process of acting, and the art of film-making; not that drama serials are regarded as works of art anyway, but both leading actors basically did not understand a word the other was saying throughout the entire process, and even though all drama serials are created for the purpose of targeting a mainstream audience, I felt that the production of this particular drama was too explicitly a “sell-out”. Nevertheless, I’m ashamed to admit that I did enjoy the drama and getting lost in the love story and yes I did cry at the end because Korean dramas are infamos for being tear-jerkers. On another note, many (or most) Korean dramas are also dubbed in Chinese or have affixed English subtitles to enable the exportation to foreign markets.

Cuisines in East Asia

When you compare the three major East Asian countries’ cuisine, there are not only differences in what they eat, but there exists differences in their beliefs behind the cooking and eating methods. Both Korea and Japan like to present many small “sides” dishes along with rice and soup, whereas China likes to present “staple” dishes on the dining table. More meat on the table is generally better in Chinese cuisine, but Koreans generally prefer vegetables. Another tidbit is that the Chinese and the Japanese tend to pick up their bowls and use chopsticks when eating rice. However, the Koreans eat their rice with a spoon and leave the bowl on the table.

With all the yummy foods in front of you, it’s very tempting for the Koreans not to mix their dishes together. They believe that they want to taste all the good things at once. The most common Korean dish is the bibimbap. On the other hand, the Japanese and the Chinese, albeit having many dishes as well, prefer to keep everything separate so they can savor each dish at a time.

As for the presentation of the dishes, the common modern Korean society does not seem to be concerned with the decorations. They are more focused on the tastiness instead. However, the presentation of food is still very much of an art to Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Not only does taste and aromas matter, but they believe that the way it looks also plays a significant role to make the food more appealing to the senses. Of course, this is different when food is served in the royal courts where everything is the utmost beautiful.

I’ve also found a little anachrony: in one of the episodes (#52), Jang Geum talked about chili kimchi. However, in Feffer’s article, he mentioned that it took “over 150 years before Koreans added red pepper to pickled vegetables for the first time in 1766…and it was another thirty-four years before the most common kimchi …fermented along with red pepper powder–debuted in the Korean diet” (4). Dae Jan Geum itself took place in the late 1400s to early 1500s during the Chosen dynasty.

(My conclusions came from talking to my Korean friend and Japanese professor as well as my Chinese background.)

Initial thoughts on Jewel in the Palace

I've only watched the first two episodes of Jewel in the Palace, so what caught my attention was not necessarily the traditional food featured but the depiction of women. The place of women in neo-Confucian Choson dynasty was extremely limited, and yangban women especially were relegated to the private sphere. So, I can see how then the kitchen became an important place of power for women in the palace. I was intrigued by the fact that there was a whole hierarchical system in place in the royal kitchen with some boss ladies having all the power and striking fear in the hearts of all their culinary workers. Still, while women could have authority in this domestic area, their position was still so much lower than men's.

The other thing I noticed was the use of han'gul, the Korean script. It was my understanding that learning how to read and write was reserved for men and that women who did learn to read and write (and even when they did, they were only really allowed access to han'gul since that was considered lower than classical Chinese) were usually yangban women or maybe the kisaeng. So, I was confused as to how Jang Geum's mother had learned to read and write seeing as how she only worked in the palace and wasn't actually part of the yangban class. She is also shown at the end of episode 2 as having some knowledge of Chinese characters.

In any case, I am assuming that this drama is especially favorable to women and has had the effect of empowering them. Storey talked about how popular culture can have the connotation of "the other." Since men have been traditionally (and still to an extent today) dominant in society and thus have also dominated "culture," things that are popular culture, such as Jewel in the Palace, can provide necessary social commentary.

Korean Food, Korean Identidy: The Impact of Globalization of Korean Food and Agriculture

John Feffer's piece concentrates on the effect of globalization on Korean food production and consumption. Because I am more interested in the food itself, this is what I will focus on.

Before reading this article, my impression of Korean food was from watching Korean dramas and offerings by the on-campus restaurants Korean Pizza Place and the food truck Koja's. Thus my impression of Korean food was kimchi, bulgogi, and rice cakes. Consequently, I always had the impression that Korean food was spicy because many of the offerings of Korean Pizza Place were noodles and rice cakes in literally RED soup. Therefore, I was surprised when Feffer stated that the traditional RED Korean items are a product of globalization, I was pretty surprised.

Take tongpaechu, the most common Korean kimchi for example. Tongpaechu is whole cabbage kimchi fermented with red pepper powder. According to Feffer the process of pickling was introduced into Korea from China during the Shilla dynasty and red peppers were introduced by the Japanese in the late 16th century in the wake of the Hideyoshi invasions. Or the Korean barbecue dishes that "occupy the heart of Korean cooking today." According to Feffer, the technique of grilling meat was introduced by the Mongols in the 13th century.

In addition, there are also the modern hybrids in the Korean diet. Take budae chigae or "piggie stew" which is made from Spam and/or Vienna sausages along with a mix of vegetables and noodles that is popular dish at middle-class restaurants. What's interesting about this dish is that it was developed by scavengers who scavenged in the garbage dumps of the bengko (big nose or westerner) community and was originally made by boiling meat and cheese and chicken bones or any canned items together. That it is now a middle class dish and uses a western meat item (Span) as the base is an extremely interesting factor.

On the other hand, there are Korean dishes. Take poshintang (dog soup) or naengmyen (cold noodles), both of which are considered to be traditionally Korean. Naengmyen especially is associated with North Korea as many North Korean refugees opened up naengmyenjip or cold noodle shops in South Korea to give the South a taste of the North.

In addition to the dishes themselves, the South Korean diet has also changed. Modern Koreans are eating less rice, fewer vegetables and more quantities of meat. Dishes such as sollomgtang (beef soup) and bulgogi (beef barbecue), originally luxury or celebratory dishes are becoming more common in the Korean diet. Yet surprisingly, Korean obesity rates are still alot lower than to be expected of a country with its economic development.

More interesting though is the fact that the Korean diet has endured pretty well due to long term resistance to outside pressures for Korean food. Examples of the resistance would be social movements such as the “Love Korean products” movement in 1909 and the anti-colonial, and anti-globalization movements of the past century. Indeed I feel that dramas such as Jewel in the Palace may be an example of a modern attempt to preserve Korean food culture in the wake of the current wave of globalization.

Globalism For Dinner

This post is about biology, business, beef and bunnies in Korea.

Food is an important part of Korean culture, and politics. A few decades ago, the demand for agricultural products from a growing population in South Korea surpassed the supply, and the country began relying on imports for goods such as beef, wheat and corn. North Korea, on the other hand, notoriously does not have enough food to even feed its entire population, and desperately needs certain imported food items. Globalization has many implications for how and what people eat.

Food politics are a sensitive matter. For example, in South Korea, rice is significantly more expensive than in other countries in the region. Only a small percentage of the peninsula is arable, and so the government shields the domestic rice industry from outside influences – a detail which often amounts to a stumbling block during international trade negotiations. Korea still protects a few of its industries in this way from liberalization, to the dismay and criticism of certain countries such as the US.

Another facet to the agricultural import debate is standards of quality. Both the domestic and international beef industry in the US is overseen by the FDA, an entity predisposed to political machinations rather than its intended role of quality supervision. After the mad cow scare beginning in the 1980s, developed nations all adopted stronger, anti-BSE measures for the cattle industry. Despite these measures, BSE arrived in Korea in late 2003, a time when the US supplied the majority of beef consumed in the country. A ban on US beef resulted shortly. Beef politics is still a sour issue between the countries, even after South Korea lifted the beef ban. Flecks of bone in imported meat from the US, a tell-tale sign of feeding and handling practices that promote BSE, have recently prompted a renewal of the ban.

North Korea faces virtually the opposite problem. Due to certain regrettable foreign policy positions, the country faces considerable restrictions in its trading options and partners. As a result, food is again an extremely sensitive issue. North Korea is currently negotiating with a German rabbit breeder to import exceptionally fat rabbits as one measure to alleviate hunger. These bunnies have been carefully bred to be unusually voracious and can grow up to a whopping 10kg, supplying ample fur and meat. A pilot project is currently underway.

Agricultural import policy is a strange confluence of politics and gastronomy. All countries import varying amounts of foodstuffs, so the very act of eating itself is a delicious result of modern globalization. Globalization and food imports also carry a fair share of controversy, such as the threat to domestic GDP (and health) in South Korea, or starvation in the North. A dinner plate is a useful yardstick of both foreign policy and culture.

Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6323385.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6320821.stm
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ks.html

Social Class in "Jewel in the Palace"

I've only watched the first couple of episodes of Jewel in the Palace, but have noticed an interesting connection. Aside from the emphasis on food, I think there are some key insights into social class structure that are related to concepts found in Storey's book. For me, there were two instances in which the concepts materialized in the drama. The first is when the head lady chef is talking with her niece after the attempted murder on Jang Geum's mother. The chef's niece asks if they were maybe too harsh on Jang Geum's mother. The head lady chef tells her niece that she needs to harden her heart in order to prepare for her furture postion as chief chef. This quickly reminded me of a sentence in chapter two of Storey's book where he talks about preparing the middle class children for the power that is to be theirs. The second time is when young Jang Geum pleads with her mother about not wanting to be part of the slave class anymore. Her mother scolds her and insists that she does not go to school to learn with the other children. This obviously reminded me of the idea that children are taught where they are in term of social class and instruced in a way that forces them to remain at that particular class level. Although this is not really the same point that Storey tries to get across becasue Jang Geum's mother is simply trying to protect her family, it still shows the importance of social class and the inherent desire to rebel aggainst suppression even at a young age.

I do not know if these example from the drama were specifically designed to get across social class and cultural norms, but I felt that they at least maybe strengthened some of the arguments made in Storey's book. Other aspects of the drama seem very deliberate in terms of what points are trying to be made like the importance of food and feasts for example. In the second epidsode, all the women who prepared a feast for the King hold their breath to see if the King enjoys the food. After he smiles, they all breathe a sigh of relief.

Jewel craze

It seems that this particular korean drama, Jewel in the Palace have won the acclaim of fans&critics all over the world and fans from Japan, China and the Philippines have worshiped the actors and actresses of this show. The main actress, Lee Young-ae, is extremely popular in Asia. However, after watching the show I couldn't believe that she was already in her 30's! Is this because she has found the spring of everlasting youth or is it true that she has been under the knife like many other Korean stars? Looking past the cast, I really enjoyed the show and think that it is fantastic that they have the historic depiction of Korean costume and I'm very impressed with the cusine.

Actress gains Popularity in Asia

By Han Eun-jung
Staff Reporter

What do President of China Hu Jintao and Hong Kong movie stars Chow Yun Fat and Andy Lau have in common?

They have all admitted in the past year to being fans of the South Korean drama ``Jewel in the Palace,'' which finished its run in China on Oct. 16 as the number one watched show.

Earlier in May it went down in Hong Kong TV history as the most-watched television show, with the last episode recording viewer ratings surpassing the 40 percent mark.

And standing in the middle of the period piece, which tells the story of clever court maid who later becomes the royal physician, and the whole craze that has spread all across Asia, is its heroine Jang-gum played by Lee Young-ae.

The popularity of the drama and the actress had her traveling all over North and Southeast Asia promoting the show. But even before all the excitement surrounding it had seemed to settle down, the 34-year-old actress was ready to excite fans with something entirely new.

In late July Lee made a stunning comeback onto to the silver screen as Kum-ja, a woman thirsty for revenge after serving a sentence for a murder she was falsely accused of committing.

For ``Sympathy for Lady Vengeance’’ she teamed up with ``Old Boy’’ director Park Chan-wook. The piece also happened to be the Cannes Film Festival grand prize winner’s much anticipated third and final installment of his revenge-themed series

The movie took her to Venice this year and although the film didn’t garner any awards in competitive categories, Lee still attracted a lot of attention from critics and the media.

Back home she won the best actress award at the 26^th Blue Dragon Awards, which was held in Seoul last month.

Korean Times 12.21.2005

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200512/kt2005122116360111720.htm

Actress Leaves for China Event

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

Actress Lee Young-ae boarded an Asiana Airlines plane that was emblazoned with her image and named after her soap opera “Jewel in the Palace’’ (Taejanggum) as she headed to a winter event in Harbin, China.

Lee, publicity ambassador for the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, left Seoul on the plane yesterday to participate in the annual winter festivity.

The 260-seat plane was fully booked, filled by Lee and other dignitaries, including former Prime Minister Lee Soo-sung.

The festival, which runs from today through March 5, commemorates the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China.

Ice sculptures featuring hallyu, or Korean wave, stars will be presented to symbolize the friendship between the two countries.

Asiana has operated the Taejanggum plane since May last year. The plane has traveled to Taiwan, Japan, China and Southeast Asian countries where the television drama featuring traditional Korean cuisine has gained popularity.

Since 2004 the carrier has offered a special Taejanggum in-flight meal comprised of dishes eaten by the royal family during the Choson Kingdom.

Source: The Korea Times 1.4.2007

Jewel in the Palace

I've never seen this drama before nor was I aware of its popularity before I started surfing the internet. I just started watching it at the library, and I was fascinated by the exhibition of traditional Korean cuisine. It showed how the meals were prepared in intricate details. I was curious to know how other people would react to preparing such a grandiose meal. When I started searching for “Jewel in the Palace” on google, I found many sites (blogs) dedicated to this drama. Most of them talked about Korean cuisine and how this drama shed light on how the Korean aristocrats splurged on variety of foodstuff. It actually was portrayed as a profession that most women held pride in. To women, this job entailed not only making the food but pride and utmost dedication. Although political corruption did exist, the fact that the people in this industry prided their job should not be disregarded.

In light of our class discussion of how these dramas portray other Asian countries, it was interesting to find out that the powder that one of the guards gave to Myeong-Hee was from China. They praised and envied the gift because it was from China. Myeong-Hee’s fellow cooks acknowledged the preciousness of the powder. I thought this scene might have satisfied the Chinese viewers since it emphasized the fact that the Chinese were capable of producing such fine powders that everyone wished to have. Besides the scene about the powder, many unfolding of the Suh Chun Su’s fate involved extensive analysis of Chinese characters. It could be due to the language that Koreans used at the time, but nonetheless it showed how crucial these characters were in the progression of the story.

K-pop and Plastic Surgery

As I was browsing the internet this week, I came across quite a few articles about how popular Korean dramas like Jewel in the Palace are partially responsible for a recent plastic surgery epidemic across Asia. Apparently many women envy the facial features of popular Korean actresses and are flooding plastic surgeons with requests for operations to create higher-bridged noses and add a fold to eyelids to make the eyes look larger (apparently these Western-style features tend to be more common in Koreans). Surgeons report that women come in with photos of their favorite actresses - like Lee Young-ae of Jewel in the Palace - and ask to look more like them. The situation also isn't helped by the fact that many Korean pop stars openly admit that they've had plastic surgery to become more attractive in order to please their fans, and this has left many people under the impression that all stars have had surgery.

While many women have had successful operations, doctors report that often their patients' expectations are much higher than is reasonable. Also, many of the surgeries are performed by uncertified doctors since there are not enough qualified plastic surgeons to meet demand. This naturally has resulted in many botched operations which have left patients permanently disfigured.

I thought this was an interesting result of the hallyu wave, since plastic surgery is still regarded negatively by many people in the Western world even though we are surrounded by the same barrage of images of beautiful people. When considering recent efforts to increase nationalism in Asian countries with the increase in globalism, it is also concerning that so many fans are physically altering themselves to look more Western. Following are a few links to articles about plastic surgery in Korea, China, and Japan, with short descriptions of what they are about.

TIME - "Changing Faces" TIME reports on the wave of plastic surgery across Asia and the importance of physical beauty in society. It also recounts some personal stories of those who have had very successful operations and the devastating effects it's had on patients whose operations were unsuccessful.

Wall Street Journal - "Korea's Hip Makeover Changes Face of Asia" This article reports on how Chinese and Japanese are flooding Seoul to get plastic surgery after becoming fans of Korean dramas and music artists.

Chosun.com - "Korea Becomes Regional Plastic Surgery Hub" This article reports that the week after the premier of Jewel in the Palace in China, women flooded plastic surgeons with requests to look more like Lee Young-ae (the actress who portrays Jang Geum).

BBC - "South Korea's Cosmetic Surgery Boom" The BBC reports on how plastic surgery is booming in S. Korea and becoming more socially acceptable due to surgeries by pop stars and plastic surgery's exposure on television.

a postscript to last week's discussion

I meant to post this picture last week when we were talking about territorial expansion, but I forgot. I studied abroad last year, and while traveling in Prague, I came across some interesting graffiti. The things in black can be roughly translated to "Dokdo is our land," "Dokdo is South Korean land," "Koguryo is Korean history," and I'm guessing that's a signature at the bottom right (anyone can correct me if I'm wrong. I haven't studied Korean language in a while.). The red stuff says (in Japanese) "Japan" (I think, although this is spelled wrong then), "Takeshima" (is this the correct spelling in Japanese?), "X," (in Korean) "Dokdo," and "O."

I recall giggling when I first saw this because it was so, so random and seemingly out of place. But, there were many Korean tourists in Prague, which is not true of many of the places I travelled to (except Istanbul. There were tons of Koreans in Istanbul, and the Turkish could actually figure out my ethnicity instead of assuming I was Chinese or Japanese, but I'm digressing...). It seems that the upsurge in tourism to the Czech Republic is the direct result of the popularity of the drama Lovers in Prague (which I have not seen). There also seems to be increased Korean investment in the Czech Republic. But, what to make of the graffiti? I thought it was a nice example of the intersection of Korean cultural and commerical expansion. Koreans could claim a space even outside of Korea to voice nationalistic sentiments, even on vacation (an example of the paradoxical Korean globalization?).

Cops and Robbers

This post doesn't actually have anything to do with Janggeum and Jewel of the Palace, but I saw this short article and thought it was interesting enough to mention to the class.

"Thieves Happier than Police?"

South Korean gangsters get more satisfaction from their line of work than the police, according to a survey published on Tuesday in local dailies.

According to the survey conducted among 109 jailed mobsters by the Korean Institute of Criminal Justice, 79.3 percent of gangsters said they were somewhat or very satisfied with their life in organized crime.

About 65 percent of police said they enjoyed their profession, according to a separate survey.

South Korean gangsters make on average about 4 million won ($4,255) a month, which is typically higher than the pay for police.

The criminal justice survey said crime syndicates in South Korea get most of their money through traditional methods such as extortion, prostitution and gambling.

But mobsters have been looking to diversify their operations and are trying to muscle their way into shady stock deals or earn a share of corporate mergers and acquisitions, it said.

While the article doesn't exactly go into the details and the methodology of how they exactly compiled this data, I thought it was interesting to see such a high "job satisfaction" with gangsters. When I read this, two things popped into my mind.

One was the movie My Wife is a Gangster and it's romanticized view on Korean gangsters. The second thing I thought of was another survey done a number of years ago by the Korean Ministry of Education. The survey asked Korean students in elementary school what they wanted to be when they grew up. In previous years, some of the top answers included doctors, lawyers, and businessmen. That year, the number one answer was "singer."

The thought that such a drastic shift in cultural ideas (such as moving from a education-centric view of success to a quick-money-and-fame) was surprising and, to be honest, a little worrisome. With an increase in globalization and technological advancement, can this shift be attributed to, if at least in part, to Western ideas of immediate gratification and instant success (American Idol, Survivor, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, etc.)?

Dae Jang Geum (Jewel In The Palace)

Watching Dae Jang Geum was a wonderful experience for me (especially as a female). Before this class, I have actually seen the whole drama almost two times despite the length. It is enjoyable to watch the development of Jang Geum throughout the drama and to watch how she grows and is able to overcome all the obstacles thrown at her. Ever since her childhood she had been thrown into peril and has been able to survive overwhelming odds. I believe that the drama inspires women (although Jang Geum is technically under the jurisdiction of the king) for many reasons. She is not only an amazing cook and a genuis doctor, she is a loyal person to her friends and to the king. She proved that women could become more than mere cooks even during the times when men were given more power.

*Spoiler warning for those who have not watched the drama till the end but would like to*

Even though she is banished for supposedly poisoning the king, she comes back to work in the kingdom as a brilliant doctor. She is so good at healing people that she even becomes the personal doctor for the first lady when the king's wife becomes pregnant. By the end of the drama she becomes the ultimate woman by mastering the techniques of anesthesia and performing a cesarean on a pregnant woman in a cave.

*Spoiler End*

Throughout the drama we see her character develop into a courageous woman who overcomes every challenge, but remains as pure in heart as she was since the beginning of the drama.

(For the people who are curious about why the word "Dae" is put infront of her name. Dae is a prefix that is used rarely for people who have accomplished many things throughout their lifetime. The word literally translates to "Great" and is given to Jang Geum because of the many feats that humans thought were impossible to achieve during the timeline of the story.)

Food, Cultural Warfare, and Jewel in the Palace

I was very intrigued (and hungry) after watching the highlights reel of Jewel in the Palace. I was surprised how much of the story seemed to have been glossed over and / or skipped while the food scenes seemed to have been shown in their full glory. Clearly, the people who put together this highlight DVD thought that the food scenes were more important than the other scenes.

The show reminded me of several shows in Japan that fit the same “genre.” For example, the anime, Yakitate, follows the story of a boy who wishes to make the “perfect Japanese bread.” The show is very silly, but follows the same formula of kitchen intrigue, rivalries, and cooking secrets involving the importance of mixing health and taste, using unusual ingredients, and putting “your heart into it.” This, however, differs from Jewel in the Palace, as Jewel concerns a historic figure and is set in a historic setting, while Yakitate is set in modern times and is clearly fictional.

But while shows like Jewel and Yakitate are part of a larger genre seen in East Asian television dramas, I can’t think of any western counterparts. For certain, there are American cooking shows, but I can’t think of any shows that are both cooking shows AND drama shows.

This dramatic aspect allows for some interesting scenes. First, there is clearly an emotional level attached to the food making process. Jang Geum uses vinegar left behind by her dead mother, and prepares mountain berries for the cooking competition, which mirrors the mountain berries she fed her mother on her deathbed. Second, there is a nationalistic pride being attached. Jang Geum is not just a cook, but a historic Korean figure. She’s not just cooking food; she’s preparing Korean food. This is a key point in several cooking scenes, such as when the competition called for rice preparation, with the descriptor of rice being central to the Korean diet and cooking aesthetic. Furthermore, one can see the cultural warfare that is taking place. When Jang Geum is cooking for the Ming Dynasty envoy, she refuses to serve him Chinese food, stating that it is unhealthy for him. She prepares healthy (Korean) food for him, and after five days, the envoy refuses to eat Chinese food, but instead declares that he has gotten used to the Korean food, and prefers its healthy quality to his homeland foods.

One must wonder what a Japanese audience thinks when they hear how Korean rice is, or what a Chinese audience thinks when they hear how unhealthy their food is.

Question regarding cross-cultural appeal and Jewel in the Palace

Jewel in the Palace has been aired in several countries, and the highlights DVD has been subtitled in several languages (English, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Spanish), so it is clear that this Korean drama is reaching a wide audience outside of Korea. I find this somewhat puzzling, as the show, at least initially, seems to focus primarily on Korean food preparation in a Korean historic setting (story of quasi-historical Jang Geum, set in the Joseon Dynasty). Furthermore, the leading actress’ portrayal of Jang Geum is remarkably plain. So if the show is not drawing in a wider audience with beautiful characters, and the show is focusing on something so uniquely Korean, what exactly is so appealing to the wider audience that has led to its success?