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TRAVEL<br />
<strong>Korea</strong>n Air<br />
Enjoy <strong>Korea</strong>n Cuisine<br />
above the Clouds<br />
BY LEE JI-YOON<br />
STAFF WRITER<br />
A first-class passenger is served <strong>Korea</strong>n meal<br />
<strong>Korea</strong>n Air<br />
<strong>Korea</strong>n Air’s bibimbab meal<br />
Tourists point out <strong>Korea</strong>’s tasty local food is one<br />
of the main reasons why they choose to visit<br />
here. To meet passengers’ expectations, domestic<br />
and international air carriers are offering healthy<br />
<strong>Korea</strong>n food in the air.<br />
Knowing that passengers fly in a small space for<br />
a long period of time, in-flight meals consist of ingredients<br />
low in calories that are easy to digest. Wellknown<br />
for its healthy ingredients, <strong>Korea</strong>n cuisine satisfies<br />
both taste and nutrition.<br />
First introduced in 1997 by <strong>Korea</strong>n Air, bibimbab,<br />
or rice with assorted vegetables, has become the most<br />
widely provided <strong>Korea</strong>n dish as an in-flight meal.<br />
Various vegetables included in bibimbab help digestion<br />
and provide vitamins.<br />
<strong>Korea</strong>n Air’s spicy <strong>Korea</strong>n noodles, called<br />
“bibimguksoo” in <strong>Korea</strong>n, are also favored for con-<br />
taining only 450 calories. A special process, which is<br />
developed by the company’s own research laboratory<br />
for air catering, keeps the noodles from swelling despite<br />
the long flight. <strong>Korea</strong>n Air has been recognized<br />
twice by the prestigious Mercury Award for the usage<br />
of bibimguksoo and bibimbab.<br />
Another major <strong>Korea</strong>n air carrier Asiana Airlines<br />
offers an opportunity for passengers to experience<br />
the royal cuisine, also well-known to foreign visitors<br />
through the <strong>Korea</strong>n Wave drama “Daejanggeum,” or<br />
“Jewel in the Palace.”<br />
In cooperation with Han Bok-ryeo, the president<br />
of the Institute of <strong>Korea</strong>n Royal Cuisine, a fourcourse<br />
meal, which is said to be consumed by ancient<br />
<strong>Korea</strong>n kings, is served for first class passengers.<br />
Among the more than nine side dishes are grilled<br />
fish, grilled beef and seafood stew with abalone, scallop,<br />
sea cucumber roll. Of course, prior reservation is<br />
required.<br />
Business and economy class passengers can also<br />
enjoy various royal cuisine menu items such as tteokgalbi<br />
(grilled short rib meat patties) and agwijjim<br />
(spicy monkfish with soybean sprouts). Especially favored<br />
is the 2007 Mercury Award-winning ssambap,<br />
a <strong>Korea</strong>n dish in which leaf vegetables are offered to<br />
wrap a piece of meat and boiled rice. Ssamjang, a<br />
special soybean paste, is accompanied, adding taste.<br />
In another effort to introduce <strong>Korea</strong>n cuisine to<br />
foreign travelers, Asiana Airlines services traditional<br />
holiday foods each season. For New Year’s Day,<br />
tteokguk, a soup boiled with several thinly sliced rice<br />
cakes, is offered with traditional cookies and drinks,<br />
and for Chuseok, or <strong>Korea</strong>n Thanksgiving Day, halfmoon-shaped<br />
rice cakes, called “songpyeon” in<br />
<strong>Korea</strong>n, is provided as a dessert.<br />
Also, international air carriers prepare <strong>Korea</strong>n<br />
food as an in-flight meal, aimed at both attracting local<br />
passengers and introducing <strong>Korea</strong>n culture to foreign<br />
travelers.<br />
With the opening of the Seoul-Helsinki direct<br />
route in June, Finland’s flag carrier Finnair services<br />
more typical <strong>Korea</strong>n food such as doenjangguk (soybean-paste<br />
soup) and miyeokguk (brown seaweed<br />
soup) along with bibimbab and kimchi. The company<br />
has employed <strong>Korea</strong>n chefs residing in Helsinki for<br />
the development of the <strong>Korea</strong>n menu.<br />
German airline Lufthansa introduces <strong>Korea</strong>n cuisine<br />
such as galbi (grilled beef) and jeonbyeong<br />
(<strong>Korea</strong>n pancakes enjoyed with various vegetables)<br />
and instant cup noodles are also popular. ■<br />
(From top) Asiana Airlines’ nutritious juk, or <strong>Korea</strong>n-style porridge, traditional<br />
snacks and the ssambab set<br />
Asiana Airlines<br />
48 KOREA SEPTEMBER 2008<br />
SEPTEMBER 2008 KOREA 49
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