[K-FOOD GOES GLOBAL] YouTuber explores lesser-known Korean delights

When Austin Givens, a 35-year-old American currently living in Daejeon, moved to New York for his Master's degree after growing up in a small town in Indiana, the Big Apple's diverse cultures and food was a big eye-opener. That experience, where he..

Austin Givens works as a visiting professor at KAIST Language Center in Daejeon and his YouTube channel explores some unique Korean dishes across the country. [AUSTIN GIVENS]

When Austin Givens, a 35-year-old American currently living in Daejeon, moved to New York for his Master's degree after growing up in a small town in Indiana, the Big Apple's diverse cultures and food was a big eye-opener.

That experience, where he first tried Korean food in 2012, was a catalyst for him to consider moving to Korea, which became a reality in March 2015.

“I remember ordering ramen and fried chicken [during my first K-food experience], and I loved their kkakdugi, which the restaurant called kimchi on its menu,” Givens reminisced in an email interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily. “But I remember being so confused because I thought kimchi was only made with cabbage. I didn’t realize that kkagdugi was a deep part of Korean kimchi culture until I moved to Korea.”

Givens has documented what he has eaten in the country on his YouTube channel, "Eating What is Given," since 2016.

As implied by the title of his channel, Givens not only enjoys Korean staples such as bibimbap and Korean-style BBQ but also eagerly ventures outside Seoul to explore unique local dishes such as mulhwae (sliced raw fish served in a spicy broth) and maeuntang (spicy fish stew) in relatively unknown cities such as Uljin and Gongju.

He currently works as a visiting professor at the KAIST Language Center in Daejeon. When he visits his family back in the U.S., he makes sure to bring some Korean food to share — he genuinely loves Korean food to the point where he makes the effort to assemble the perfect Korean-style barbeque, and has made budae jjigae (spicy stew) for his family to try.

Givens picks dynamism as his favorite Korean food quality. The following are edited excerpts from the interview, where Givens shares his thoughts on Korean food and how “K-food” could be globally popularized.

Q. You demonstrate some impressive knowledge about Korean food on your channel. What’s your current all-time favorite Korean food?A. My favorite Korean food is always changing. Every day, I can think of another food in Korea that captivates me. Of course, it is summertime, so I am obsessed with naengmeyon. Any kind of cold noodle is great, but yeol-mu guksu with some grilled yeontan-gui is the perfect summertime combination. If you ask me this question in the wintertime, I might say grilled oysters with roasted sweet potato and kimchi. Of course, all three together in one bite is heavenly!

Givens poses for a photo while filming content for his YouTube channel "Eating What is Given." [AUSTIN GIVENS]

It's obvious from the videos that you genuinely love Korean cuisine. What is your favorite Korean food quality? Why do you like it so much? Korean food is the most dynamic that I have come across: jang (sauces), high-quality protein, fermented and pickled foods. But the most attractive quality for me is the balance you see on the Korean table through the use of banchan. We have rice at the center, which acts as a vessel to carry the flavors on the table to your mouth. It feels as if all the flavors and ingredients of a great meal are spread out on the table. And every good spread will have a variety of banchan to mix and match. There is usually something sweet, salty, savory, bitter, stinky, hot, cold, creamy, and dry. Eating at a good Korean table means you can combine the banchan to make thousands of different bites of food. And it is an art to learn how to eat Korean food. For me, banchan is the key to what makes Korean food special. And the English translation, side dish, doesn’t really capture banchan's importance. I would like to see this concept of banchan as a “side dish” change in the future.

How are Korean content and Hallyu perceived in your home country? Are there any interesting anecdotes related to that you can share with us? Hallyu is spreading like wildfire across America. When I first moved to Korea, Americans would always talk with me about the situation with North Korea and Kim Jong-un. Of course, this was the first thought most Americans had when they heard about Korea. But more and more, when I go home and tell people I live in Korea, they start telling me about their favorite K-drama, K-pop, or K-food.

Givens pose with ssam (food wrapped in lettuce or weed) at a local restaurant in Korea. [AUSTIN GIVENS]

What about Korean food? Are there any popular Korean dishes people enjoy there? I am from a very small rural town, population 4,000, in the middle of the US. Korean food is a brand-new concept for many people there. However, a Korean American recently began selling her kimchi and bibimbap in a small café called “True Kimchi.” The influence of Korean food is slowly growing. These days, when I go home, I always cook Korean food for my family to introduce it to them. The most popular dish by far is Korean BBQ. My family loved eating pork belly and moksal with fried rice the last time I was home. I hope I can introduce more Korean food to them in the future.

When I was a student in New York, I noticed K-food's popularity was rapidly growing. But the general perception is that Korean food is a luxury item. Most restaurants serve Korean food at very high prices and in very elegant restaurants. I haven’t had the chance to try them yet, but some of the restaurants look amazing! For example, I follow Chef Hooni Kim on Instagram, and his New York restaurants look amazing! He travels to Korea to learn about fermentation and sauces and brings his knowledge back to New York. I hope I can try his food someday.

What are your thoughts on the connection between Hallyu and the rising popularity of K-food? Do people really perceive Korean culture and food differently since the Hallyu boom of K-pop and K-content? I can certainly say Hallyu has changed the way people perceive Korea and K-food. As I mentioned before, only 15 years ago, most people associated Korea with the North Korean issue. That has totally changed now. The perception of Korea has totally changed, and I am happy to see it happen. Korea has a deep and rich culture. Even most “Hallyu” content is only a small portion of what makes Korean culture special. For example, most people know of gimbap, bibimbap, tteokbokki, and K-BBQ. But Korea has so many other dishes to offer the world. I hope that the Korean wave can act as a starting point to introduce people to Korean food. But I hope true foodies will dive deeper to gain even more understanding. I hope that one day people will understand regional Korean food the same way people understand regional Italian food.

Do fans of K-pop idols such as BTS really want to try dishes that their favorite stars create or food from their favorite TV shows or films? I am not an expert on this question, so I cannot say with certainty. But from what I do see, people have become much more interested in Korean culture, food, and content since the global spread of K-pop idols such as BTS. BTS is a great role model for the world. Even my American grandfather in law, after seeing BTS speak at the United Nations, said he was very impressed with their speech. The music is a bit too new for him, but even he recognized the importance of their words for all the young people of the world. I think people look up to BTS, and I am sure it makes people want to try the members' favorite food and recipes.

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