Island looks to Hawaii for advice on festival
SEOGWIPO, Jeju - For destination islands like Jeju and Hawaii, it is crucial to not only bring in the tourists but also to stimulate the local economy and prompt people to travel there for a variety of reasons.
Just like Hawaii has been building its name not only as a honeymoon or family vacation spot but also as a foodie destination with the launch of the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival in 2011, Jeju has begun looking for ways to promote itself better in the global community.
To help these efforts, Jeju has invited renowned chefs Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi, who started the Hawaii festival, to give guidance on how to develop Jeju’s own newly launched festival.
“Korean food in the last 10 years has become really popular,” said Yamaguchi. “And in the next 10 years it’s going to get even more global because I think people are looking for new flavors, and flavor profiles found in Korean food that include sweetness, saltiness from sauces, and spiciness can go a long way.”
To make the festival more sustainable, the chef also stresses that the effort put in by chefs to keep the festival going is as important as incorporating local culture. The Hawaiian festival started as a three-day event in 2011, but this year’s event starting in October will last more than two weeks.
“As you visit the island to eat, you go see temples, or any other cultural [sites] available so you do cultural things and eat again, do cultural things and eat on a daily basis,” said Yamaguchi. Even the Jeju festival featured Hawaiian music and dance performed by local and overseas talent to provide a more diverse experience.
Alan Wong, whose restaurant of the same name in Hawaii is well-known for having President Barack Obama as a frequent guest, said that festivals are good venues to learn about indigenous ingredients and specialties from visiting chefs’ homelands. In his case, he presented Hawaiian raw fish dish, or poke, seasoned with gochujang, hot pepper paste.
BY LEE SUN-MIN [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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