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chinguchicken-blog · 7 years ago

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Something is stirring...

Stirring up our appetites for some finger licking saucy goodness! Please read from the bottom up!

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chinguchicken-blog · 7 years ago

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Conclusion

Well, after much discussion, I must admit that I personally indulge in this delectable Korean phenomenon. Through the course of this project, I came to realize certain facts that changed my (which could also impact your) idea of certain brands.

For example, 4Fingers is not from Korea, it is an Australian company.

Moreover, I definitely did come to a position where I appreciated Korean arts and media more. I managed to see how the Korean Wave is not merely an entertainment and music hype, but also one so powerful that managed to change lifestyles and economies.

So finally, here’s one more GIF for the road from our dearest Wonder Girls.

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chinguchicken-blog · 7 years ago

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Fad or Future?

While the craze for Korean fried chicken continues to pound against the shores of Singapore, what can one expect to find in time to come? Is this phenomenon a fad or future?

Back in 1997, the TodayOnline recalled that there were not more than 20 Korean restaurants selling the usual BBQ dishes. Today, this number has grown to over 200, each offering both traditional and unique Korean cuisines to appease the growing appetites of Singaporeans. TodayOnline then further interviewed Lee Hyun-kyung, head of his company’s South-East Asian business, who commented that the eruption of popularity in Korean food is largely due to the Korean drama “Jewel in the Palace” or rather “大长今” as many of us may be more familiar with. With this, “more Singaporeans are investing in franchises of reputable South Korean food and beverage businesses” as pointed out by Mr Tim Park, chief executive of Yellowsing, a firm that manages a website and mobile application that lists all Korean restaurants in Singapore (TodayOnline, 2016).

To further expound on this topic, I searched and managed to find a budding entrepreneur planning to open an authentic Korean fried chicken franchise right here at our door steps. Fortunately, he agreed to participate in an interview (view the raw transcript here) to shed some light as to what he thinks the future of Korean fried chicken in Singapore may be.

Let us call this prospective entrepreneur Dan. During the interview, Dan aptly pointed out that the craze for Korean cuisines is largely attributable to the “romanticizing of the Korean culture”. Coupled with the high growth in the Singapore F&B industry, which reached a grand total of around S$9,023 million in revenue in 2017 (Singstat, 2017), he believed that as long as quality food is of concern, there is no market that is too saturated. Thus, in hopes of riding the “Hallyu”, Dan is embarking on a project to leverage on Singaporeans’ love for Korean fried chicken, of which he believes will stay hyped with the right strategies in place.

Read more:

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/korean-restaurants-boom-singapore

https://www.singstat.gov.sg/statistics/visualising-data/infographics/food-and-beverage

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chinguchicken-blog · 7 years ago

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Spreading the Korean’s Love for Fried Chicken

The Koreans’ love for fried chicken has been a phenomenon so widely crazed about that fans abroad have hopped on the bandwagon in pursuit of this delectable mania. Simply Google “Korean idol eating” and one may find countless photos of their favorite Korean stars, feasting on those saucy wings and drumlets. These stars play a huge role in promoting Korea’s food on a global scale.

Let’s first examine the beginning of fried chicken in Korea. According to PRI’s The World, fried chicken chains in Korea started to become widely available 20 years ago during the Asian Financial Crisis. Jeong Eun-jeong, author of “The Tale of Chicken in the Republic of Korea”, stated that many middle-aged men opened chicken franchises when they lost their jobs during that period. To further investigate the sensation, I conducted an interview (which you can find here) with Kim, a Korean exchange student, to understand his perspective on the Korean fried chicken. Kim included that chicken was popular ever since the Korean War ended due to the ease of breeding and raising them, making them widely available.

How then were these idols crucial agents of propaganda for these fried chickens?

Korean fried chicken coupled with beer became a common “ya sik” (야식) or “night snack” for high school and college students. With its already trending culture within Korea, it was only a matter of time before it got popularized somehow. True enough, it was the global sensation and demand for Korean dramas that made this happen. In 2014, South Korean TV drama - “My Love from the Star” – resulted in a “chimaek” ("chi" for chicken and "maek" for “maekju”, Korean for beer) fever that swept across China and several other countries (CNN Travel, 2015). According to China’s state news agency - Xinhua, the phenomenon revived chicken farms which suffered due to the H7N9 avian flu. Here’s a video of a news reporting by BON TV on the phenomenon, which evident that the impact was much more than on chimaek alone:

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Read more here:

https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-03-01/south-koreas-obsession-fried-chicken-explained

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/south-korea-beer-chicken/index.html

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chinguchicken-blog · 7 years ago

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Korean Fried Chicken?

So, what exactly is this Korean fried chicken or “Yangnyeom-chikin” (양념 치킨) as what the locals call it?

“Yangnyeom” (양념) stands for “seasoning” or “spices” and “Chikin” (치킨) literally means “chicken” in the Korean language. Together, these words pretty much capture the essence of Korean fried chicken. The “seasoned chicken” differentiates itself from its western counterparts through the post-frying process of coating its crispy crust with a layer of savory sauce. Additionally, Korean fried chickens are lightly battered, making the skin slightly more thin and flakey to absorb the goodness of the sauces. The frying process is crucial and requires certain amount of skill to prevent the dish from turning into a soggy disaster when the sauce is being painted over.

Well, if you are interested in preparing your own version of Korean fried chicken, here are some recipes that you can follow:

https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-dakgangjeong

https://www.tastemade.com/videos/spicy-crispy-korean-fried-chicken

For those who crave convenience, there are some notable brands of Korean fried chicken in Singapore that are famous amongst the locals. These brands include 4Fingers, Nene Chicken and Chicken Up (arguably the best tasting Korean fried chicken in Singapore). Check out the video shown below for a local blind taste test on fried chicken conducted by RazorTV:

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chinguchicken-blog · 7 years ago

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The Korean “Food” Wave

The advent of the Korean culture in the 21st century has seen millions around the world embracing various traditions and adopting unique practices to participate in this so called “Hallyu”. The extent of this rampant takeover is phenomenal. From music and entertainment, to fashion and technology, the Korean culture has managed to find its way between the fabrics of everyday life to land itself a dominant foothold to influence people of all generations. Not to mention, the food and beverage (F&B) industry has taken a turn to adapt to this new Korean craze.

According to Food Week Korea (2011), production in the Korean food industry has increased by 8.1% between 2009 and 2010, with over 74% of exports being shipped to Japan, China, ASEAN nations, the USA and EU in 2011. As of 2015, 120 Korean franchise companies had established 3726 locations abroad, with a majority being coffee and chicken outlets, with Singapore being the third most popular destination with 81 stores (Business Korea, 2015). Today, the revenue in the Korean F&B segment amounts to over US$6,786m in 2018 and is expected to show and annual growth rate of 7.9%, resulting in a market volume of over US$9,204m in 2022. Moreover, based on a global market penetration comparison, South Korea’s F&B industry holds a 18.4% user penetration rate, suggesting the culture’s prevalent global influence (Statista, 2018).

To further immerse ourselves into this Korean cultural shift, we will explore in greater detail the F&B industry by getting fat and greasy. Through the eyes of Korean-styled chicken, deep fried and sauced, we will journey through interviews with relevant stakeholders and gather information to shed light on this craze happening around us. Stay tuned for a finger-licking good time.