Korean Taco Trucks Set To Go National

by WangKon936 on October 21, 2009

The arrival of Korean and Mexican fusion taco trucks in the U.S. has been a development covered here, here and here at TMH. Besides being a wish come true for some people, it’s also a trend that is slowly introducing Korean food to the larger U.S. mainstream.

At first it was mom and pops like Kogi, Marination, Koi Fusion, The Krave and Seoul on Wheels. Rumor had it that one of the mom and pops- Calbi- had learned from the original Korean taco truck- Kogi- and stole the original’s ideas and recipes.

Graduating from the mom and pops is Korean American restauranter David Kim. Mr. Kim heads the investor group that owns national chains Baja Fresh, La Salsa Mexican Grill, Canyons Burger, Cinnabon and Sweet Factory candy shops. He has now partnered with the owners of Calbi (i.e. he bought out Calbi) to take their concept national via franchising.

Earlier this year, David Kim tried to sell Kogi tacos in his Baja Fresh restaurants, but a lot of negative press and Internet traffic must have dissuaded him. Looks like David is taking a different route to Korean / Mexican fusion domination.

{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }

1 mkaplan October 21, 2009 at 10:04 am: If massage parlors and other such establishments are any indication, Korean “taco” is already quite national.
2 kpmsprtd October 21, 2009 at 10:43 am: If the trucks make it up to Sacramento, I will certainly be a patron. I think the future is bright for all kinds of reasonably priced street food. In fact, I could go for a good pochangmacha right about now. I haven’t seen one of those in the (San Francisco) Bay Area yet, but realism increases daily, and hopefully a whole bunch of Mickey Mouse Rules and Chickenshit Regulations are on their way out. Bring it!
3 iheartblueballs October 21, 2009 at 11:11 am: Let me go ahead and write the intro to the next riveting installment of the Great Korean Taco Invasion you’ve got planned for next week:

The arrival of Korean and Mexican fusion taco trucks in the U.S. has been a development covered here, here, here AND here at TMH.
4 fighteeng October 21, 2009 at 11:15 am: There’s an awesome Korean taco stand to the right of Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon. Super yummy!
5 WangKon936 October 21, 2009 at 1:21 pm: Ha IHBB…

But you’d be surprised… Korean taco trucks are a lot of blog fodder here in the states.
6 iheartblueballs October 21, 2009 at 1:52 pm: Uh…I am here in the states.

Truth be told I’ve actually been culturally invaded by a Korean taco from Koi Fusion. After all the hype I was expecting something along the lines of Lee Hyo-ri and Salma Hayek having a menage a trois with my taste buds. Instead it was more like Kang Ho-dong and Fernando Valenzuela raping my throat.

Still enjoyable, but not what I was expecting.
7 WangKon936 October 21, 2009 at 2:02 pm: Hey… it’s a $2 taco… that sounds about right. Lee Hyo-ri and Salma Hayek maybe if the taco was $12…
8 gbnhj October 21, 2009 at 2:17 pm: I’ve taken to calling WangKon’s series ‘The Great American Korean Taco Truck Phenomenon’, and humbly suggest its use when he next trumpets the latest development in the saga.
9 cmm October 21, 2009 at 9:47 pm: wjk is gone and ihbb comes back. good deal.
10 WangKon936 October 22, 2009 at 1:27 am: @ # 8,

When the phenomenon becomes big in the states, you’ll thank me later.

It’s sorts big right now actually:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/sep/28/los-angeles-street-vendors

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/world/americas/25iht-taco.4.20429767.html

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/07/17/kogi-wars-korean-taco-business-gets-ugly/

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1915762,00.html

Here is an interesting story of how Gwyneth Paltrow, perhaps jealous of Scarlett Johansson, got Kogi to cater during the filming of “Iron Man 2″ to get on the crew’s good side.

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/07/20/2009-07-20_gwyneth_paltrow_jealous_of_younger_iron_man_2_costar_scarlett_johansson.html
11 cm October 22, 2009 at 4:12 am: Wow, Paltrow has aged a lot. I thought she was smoking hot 10 years ago. Now she can pass as my mother.
12 slim October 22, 2009 at 5:04 am: Bring on the “Taco Riders” to convince North Americans that Tacos are really Korean.
13 kpmsprtd October 22, 2009 at 5:07 am: Not being a spring chicken myself, I can assure you that I would “hit it” in either case or both–subject to the requirement of sufficient recharge time should the both scenario present itself.
14 WangKon936 October 22, 2009 at 5:07 am: What do you mean slim? Tacos are Korean. There was a Koguryo tomb mural that showed a meal that looked suspiciously like a taco dated to the 4th century CE BEFORE the establishment of the Mayan civilization! Wait… Koguryo is Chinese though, huh? That would mean that the taco is really Chinese, just like pasta…
15 Sonagi October 22, 2009 at 6:58 am: Instead it was more like Kang Ho-dong and Fernando Valenzuela raping my throat.

Still enjoyable, but not what I was expecting.

I’m nonplussed.

wjk is gone and ihbb comes back. good deal.

Slim’s back, too. Here’s an equation to solve: TMH comment threads -wjk + ihbb + slim = ?
16 dry October 22, 2009 at 7:12 am: #15: Throat rape over tongue tickling…do you disagree?
17 iheartblueballs October 22, 2009 at 9:16 am: I’m nonplussed.

Hmm…clearly that analogy ended up in a place I hadn’t intended.

Not that there’s anything wrong with the enjoyment of a good throat-raping.
18 cmm October 22, 2009 at 9:42 am: yeah, welcome back slim and ihbb.

I hope won joon choe and eujin come back too. Their knowledge and fair opinions added a lot to discussions. maybe we could trade yuna to get them back?
19 WangKon936 October 22, 2009 at 9:50 am: cmm,

Just what we need… more sausage…
20 gbnhj October 22, 2009 at 10:08 am: When the phenomenon becomes big in the states, you’ll thank me later.

Really? I’m still trying to work out how wrapping marinated and barbequed beef in a soft flour tortilla is an introduction to Korean food cuisine. Frankly, the ingredients used in the marinade are similar to basic recipes for a flank steak marinade (minus the red wine often used). The meat is then grilled, as is also done with bulgogi.

The flavor profile for bulgogi marinade is different from a flank steak marinade, but not by much. Both are then grilled. If you then wrap it up in a soft flour tortilla and serve it off a truck, I don’t see how you’re getting an introduction to Korean cuisine. Sure, there’s the pojangmacha, but they’re serving up odeng, ddukboggi and twiggim. Bulgogi meals are a communal, sit-down affair, and the best meals are shared around the grill. Sharing food is arguably an integral part of the Korean food experience.

So is The Great American Korean Taco Truck Phenomenon some great street food? It sounds like it. But is it really introducing Korean cuisine to a broader market in the States, or is it simply offering up some good eats?
21 ccmontgom October 22, 2009 at 12:46 pm: gbnhj,

I think it is introducting the food in the same way ersatz (Chop-suey and Fortune Cookies) Chinese food paved the way for “real” Chinese food in the US. Hop on over to Jennifer 8 at TED to see a good presentation on how this worked (and implicitly how it is a model for Korea). This approach (Kogi truck) is worth 3-million attempts to get people in the US to “know kimchi.”

Korean restaurants in the US have been crappy at advertision outside of their koreatowns, but if the kogi trucks work, the first korean to get a restaurant in a decent area downtown? I bet they make money hand over fist, and once that starts, for good or bad the other Koreans will see it and try to move in.

Then, it’s time for the literature/video to take hold and Korea might be on its way to the 19702 Japanese trifecta of
1) good products
2) popular food
3) intellectual impact

which is a good chance for me to pimp Morning Calm my blog on Korean fiction.
22 WangKon936 October 23, 2009 at 3:09 am: This approach (Kogi truck) is worth 3-million attempts to get people in the US to “know kimchi.”

Completely agree w/that assessment ccmontgom.
23 WangKon936 October 23, 2009 at 8:01 am: Kogi one of several businesses highlighted in a Time magazine article about a resurgent California.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1931582,00.html?imw=Y
24 gbnhj October 23, 2009 at 8:23 am: You might be right about that, ccmontgom – given that example, it seems plausible that Americans could get interested in something that’s tasty but not actually Korean, then over time develop an interest in things that are genuinely Korean (and also tasty). I really hope so, because eating food at local restaurants is, to my way of thinking, one of the most satisfying and enjoyable experiences folks can have here, and I’d love to see that translated to the American environment.

Based on that model, it’ll take some time – decades, perhaps – before we see a general market acceptance and understanding of, and then interest in, authentic Korean food cuisine in the United States. Luckily, the many anticipated updates to The Great American Korean Taco Truck Phenomenon here at The Hole will keep us abreast of it all.
25 WangKon936 October 23, 2009 at 8:49 am: Luckily, the many anticipated updates to The Great American Korean Taco Truck Phenomenon here at The Hole will keep us abreast of it all.

Any time.
26 SomeguyinKorea October 23, 2009 at 8:46 pm: #6,

Funniest thing I’ve read all week.
27 seouldout October 23, 2009 at 10:16 pm: Utterly amazing how the Thais were able to do so without disguising their food as something else.
28 WangKon936 October 24, 2009 at 12:22 am: @ # 27,

And neither did Vietnamese food for that matter. But who cares the color of the cat as long as it catches the mouse…

Korea food has great potential given that some of its meat dishes (particularly BBQs) are very compatible with the North American palate.

Btw… FYI, I ran into a nice recipe for something referred to as “that Korean shit” (L.A. galbi). Some L.A. waygook has stolen a Korean American favorite right down to the kiwi tenderizer!
29 setnaffa October 24, 2009 at 12:54 am: Why all of the negative waves? Seems like a lot of posters haven’t been getting enough “kimchi” lately…

I’d recommend a good laxative for a couple of y’all… but I’m not a doctor or pharmacist, so I can’t…