[K-FOOD GOES GLOBAL] Estonian YouTuber shares food, culture of Korea through videos

A 24-year-old Estonian YouTuber using the moniker Mai uploads videos of everything related to Korea, from food and music to language and culture. She also films and uploads videos of herself making some traditional Korean staples, such as...

A twenty-four-year-old Estonian, whose online moniker is Mai poses for a photo after a meal in a Korean restaurant. Mai runs her own YouTube channel, “Kimchi Ghost Mai,” which has about 26,900 subscribers. [KIMCHI GHOST MAI]

A 24-year-old Estonian YouTuber using the moniker Mai uploads videos of everything related to Korea, from food and music to language and culture. She also films and uploads videos of herself making some traditional Korean staples, such as pajeon (green onion fritters) or makgeolli (Korean rice wine) from her home in Estonia.

The name of her YouTube channel, "Kimchi Ghost Mai," encapsulates her area of interest, and some of her videos generate hundreds of thousands of hits. She has over 20,000 subscribers.

She was first introduced to the country through none other than BTS.

“I got into K-pop thanks to BTS, with the song ‘Dope’ [2015],” Mai said in a recent email interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily. “Back then, no one danced like that, and [to me], they danced like Michael Jackson.” She made multiple visits to Korea, with her last visit being her fourth, and she stayed here for six months before flying back home.

Mai says it won’t be her last visit, and she already has plans to return to Korea again.

Working as a designer in her home country, she also has dreams of opening her own bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastries commonly stuffed with red bean paste or choux cream) stand in Estonia, to introduce and sell the Korean traditional snack to Estonians.

Korean food, or “K-food,” constitutes a big chunk of Mai’s recent videos. The following are edited excerpts of the interview with Mai about K-food.

Mai tries out hanbok, the Korean traditional dress, in her hometown in Estonia. [KIMCHI GHOST MAI]

Q. How did you first come across Korean food? What was the first Korean dish that you tried out? And what’s your current all-time favorite Korean food?A. I was on vacation to London in 2016, and I liked K-pop for a while at that point so I really wanted to try Korean food for the first time. I visited a restaurant in New Malden, where they supposedly were serving real Korean food. I ordered kimchi jjigae [stew] and my mom bibimbap. The kimchi jjigae was the spiciest thing I ever tried! I still believe it is one of the spiciest things I've tried up until now. Even the kimchi jjigae and spicy foods I tried in Korea don't compare to that spiciness I had that day. I sadly was unable to finish the soup that day, but my mom loved the bibimbap! And after I visited Korea, I've tried many things, but I think two of my big favorites are ttukbaegi bulgogi [marinated beef in a pot] and sundubu jjigae [spicy tofu stew].

It’s obvious from the videos that you love Korean food. What is your favorite quality about Korean food, and why do you like it so much? I like Korean food for its flavor. It's sweet, salty, spicy and the balance of flavors is amazing. Also the texture of the noodles. And I also have to mention how many side dishes you get! It's crazy, I buy one dish and five come out instead! It's a very pleasing experience eating in traditional Korean restaurants.

How is Korean content and Hallyu perceived in your home country? Are there any interesting anecdotes you can share with us about that? K-pop and the Hallyu wave is surprisingly is not that big in Estonia, but surprisingly enough Estonians might know more about Kimchi than K-pop! Kimchi has become sort of a super food here, known for it's health benefits.

How are Korean foods perceived in your hometown? Are there any popular Korean dishes people enjoy there? In Estonia there are two Korean restaurants that are very popular, and it seems like the most popular dishes there tend to be bulgogi and fried chicken. Whenever I take anyone there who hasn't tried Korean food, I always recommend bulgogi, and every time they love it.

What are your thoughts on the link between Hallyu and K-food? Do people really perceive Korean culture and food differently since the Hallyu boom? How are they perceived differently compared to the past? I do believe that one of the biggest promoters of K-food are the K-pop stars, dramas and TV shows! Whenever I watch the Korean reality show “I Live Alone” or a drama, in scenes where they are eating something, my mouth starts watering and I want to try them as well. Also, if it's something I haven't tried yet, I become curious.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]