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Korean Air Operated Food Truck in Down Town Houston, Texas Serves In-Flight Meals

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Old Sep 30, 2014, 2:40 pm
  #1  
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Korean Air Operated Food Truck in Down Town Houston, Texas Serves In-Flight Meals

Earlier this month, Lufthansa teamed up with a Germany food delivery service so that ordinary individuals could experience the airline's premium class meals at home.

Korean Air took a different approach to letting the public enjoy its in-flight meals. The airline will be giving free samples of food items to Houstonians from a food truck that will be run by Korean Air crew members and a catering chef.

Foods that will be available for sampling include bibimbap, a vegetable/meat/rice bowl entrée; bulgogi-deob-bap, thin-sliced marinated meat in a sweet soy sauce over rice; and braised short ribs known as galbi-jjim.
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/m...in-flight.html

If anyone spots the truck and scores some samples, let us know the food and the experience is like.
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Old Sep 30, 2014, 4:24 pm
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there doesn't seem to be a name or way to find the truck, but if anyone has more information I'll be on the lookout
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Old Sep 30, 2014, 5:22 pm
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Korean food is increasing in popularity these days, you see food trucks in other cities that are capitalizing on the trend. Here in SoCal, there is Kogi, for example (they do Korean/Mexican synthesis) and some copycat outfits.

A quick search turned up a few articles that give a clearer picture:

Originally Posted by Travel Pulse
Article here

From today (9/29) through Oct. 26, the Korean Air food Truck will travel to various venues around the Houston area. On board will be three examples of the in-flight meals offered to Korean Air passengers and the public can sample the airline’s bounty.

The tour kicked off with an appearance in northwest Houston on today at GE Oil & Gas, 11150 Equity Drive, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. After that, the truck — fully wrapped with the Korean Air colors and images — will visit various locations throughout the energy corridor and core business locations on weekdays from 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. On weekends it will set itself up at local events in the Houston area.

Sample meals are:

- Bibimbap, the airline's award-winning signature dish with minced beef and seasonal vegetables accompanied by sesame oil and Gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste).

- Bulgogi, thinly-sliced sirloin beef marinated in a mixture of soy sauce and spices.

- Galbi-jjim, short rib eye braised in soy sauce with mixed vegetables and rice.
Originally Posted by Korea Times
Article is here

The truck will serve 250 meals per day during lunch hours at the so-called energy corridor of the city near the headquarters of General Electric Oil and Gas and Chevron Corp., the company said.

The meal service that kicked off Monday and runs through Oct. 26, plans to serve 100 bibimbap, 100 servings of bulgogi deopbab and 50 plates of galbijjim per day.

Korean Air’s bibimbap menu has been a staple since it was first introduced in 1998 and received the Mercury award from the International Flight Catering Association. Bibimbap is a dish of rice, vegetables, meat and hot pepper paste, while galbijjim is braised beef short ribs. Bulgogi deopbab, is a bowl of rice topped with bulgogi or grilled marinated beef.

The airline has been at the forefront of helping people to experience the taste of traditional Korean cuisine and has operated food services at international food exhibitions since 2009.
I guess time will tell if this is good marketing or not. If I am choosing between KE and other carriers, there are many factors in play, of which the food is among the least of my concerns. At the same time, certainly if two flights were equally priced and comparable in other ways, I'd take KE over a legacy carrier in a heartbeat, just because of the food, service, and the fact that I haven't lost money from investing in Korean Air (*cough* UAL *cough*).
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Old Sep 30, 2014, 6:16 pm
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Originally Posted by FTcadence
Korean Air took a different approach to letting the public enjoy its in-flight meals. The airline will be giving free samples of food items to Houstonians from a food truck that will be run by Korean Air crew members and a catering chef.
Is it wrong that I really want to try this, and I'm bummed that I'm missing it.....



.......yet I live in Seoul?
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Old Sep 30, 2014, 7:42 pm
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There is something about combining American-sourced ingredients (especially beef) and preparing it Korean-style. Many Koreans here in SoCal will tell you the food in K-Town (Koreatown in downtown LA) is better than Korean food in Seoul, because the quality of ingredients is generally better. Totally understandable...
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Old Oct 1, 2014, 9:20 pm
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Agree on the beef lol. Main difference though is the variety within one dish (10 places in Korea will prepare the food differently, whereas in K-town it'll tend to move towards the same thing), and regional specialties that you can't find in K-town (unless you have a partner/friend whose place you can crash for dinner.
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Old Oct 1, 2014, 10:12 pm
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Sounds interesting, any photos?
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Old Oct 2, 2014, 1:14 am
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the food in K-Town (Koreatown in downtown LA) is better than Korean food in Seoul, because the quality of ingredients is generally better
Depends. Korean beef is much better today than it was a few years ago (interestingly, most restaurants specify the origin of their beef: domestic, Australian, or U.S.). I eat at Korean restaurants several times a week here in Korea, and have generally had good food. In LA, it has been hit and miss (but some places are good).
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Old Oct 4, 2014, 7:04 pm
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Originally Posted by relangford
Depends. Korean beef is much better today than it was a few years ago (interestingly, most restaurants specify the origin of their beef: domestic, Australian, or U.S.). I eat at Korean restaurants several times a week here in Korea, and have generally had good food. In LA, it has been hit and miss (but some places are good).
According to my mother-in-law (who runs a restaurant here), the country of origin thing is a compulsory requirement now in the wake of increasing food imports from China and the mad cow issue a few years back with US beef.

With LA, a lot of the places in K-town adjust their taste to the American palate (including the Korean-American palate). Some of the older hole-in-the-wall places keep things pretty similar to Korea, but plenty of others ramp up the portion sizes (no complaints from me ), sugar, salt and/or oil content ().
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Old Oct 11, 2014, 3:57 pm
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Originally Posted by Daxiuyi
According to my mother-in-law (who runs a restaurant here), the country of origin thing is a compulsory requirement now in the wake of increasing food imports from China and the mad cow issue a few years back with US beef.

With LA, a lot of the places in K-town adjust their taste to the American palate (including the Korean-American palate). Some of the older hole-in-the-wall places keep things pretty similar to Korea, but plenty of others ramp up the portion sizes (no complaints from me ), sugar, salt and/or oil content ().
I agree about the Korean restaurants in LA. They are good but definitely catered to American tastes.

Korean food isn't all about BBQ. I was turned on to a dish called bossam when I went to Seoul. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. When I had it in LA (a few places I might add), it wasn't the same.

Sorry to go off topic here. It's like the Chinese food in LA compared to HK. There's no comparison. HK wins hands down. LA Chinese food is terrible!
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Old Oct 13, 2014, 4:06 pm
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Originally Posted by zippy the pinhead
There is something about combining American-sourced ingredients (especially beef) and preparing it Korean-style. Many Koreans here in SoCal will tell you the food in K-Town (Koreatown in downtown LA) is better than Korean food in Seoul, because the quality of ingredients is generally better. Totally understandable...
Well, they call it "LA kalbi" ...
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Old Oct 13, 2014, 4:07 pm
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Originally Posted by gemini573
Sorry to go off topic here. It's like the Chinese food in LA compared to HK. There's no comparison. HK wins hands down. LA Chinese food is terrible!
Uh, where have you gone? If you go to Chinatown, then yes. If you go eastward, then no. It is comparable, if not better in some cases.
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Old Oct 13, 2014, 9:08 pm
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Originally Posted by s0ssos
Uh, where have you gone? If you go to Chinatown, then yes. If you go eastward, then no. It is comparable, if not better in some cases.
What he said.
LA Chinatown Chinese food is, well, not very authentic. Head to San Gabriel Valley, and the food there is awesome. Especially as the areas has Taiwanese, Cantonese and people from all over China, the regional variety of food there is really quite amazing ^

My friend (originally from Beijing) grew up in San Francisco and moved to LA for work. When he moved back to SF he missed the LA Chinese food
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Old Oct 13, 2014, 9:10 pm
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Smile

Originally Posted by zippy the pinhead
Many Koreans here in SoCal will tell you the food in K-Town (Koreatown in downtown LA) is better than Korean food in Seoul, because the quality of ingredients is generally better. Totally understandable...
For me, wanting to try this is more of the whole airplane-food-from-a-truck angle.

As for the difference between Korean food in the States vs. in Korea, there is a bit of a 'rivalry' I find. You'll find plenty of people who will say it's 'just not the same' in the US, and Korea is the only place to get Korean food.....

In my experience living in Seoul the past 13 years, but going 'home' to visit the USA a few times a year, I find that I prefer food in Korea when it comes to specific things which I have grown to love. Ttoekpoekki just isn't the same in K-Town LA or NYC. I try it everywhere I can, but it's usually too sweet, not spicy enough, sauce too 'grainy', ttoek not the right consistency, etc..... Same with other street foods.... It's all about street food for me..... Korea wins that hands-down.

However, when you start getting that 'fusion' of other foods with the Korean (in the US), there are some things I prefer there (I'm dying to visit that Kogi truck!!). But I think it tastes good in the US because I'm usually desperate for it by the time I track some down....

Of course everybody's experience is different, but I don't feel the quality of the food in the US is any better. Korean fruits and veggies (and the sides they make with them) are just fine for me. Meat I don't notice any quality differences, but to me it tastes better in Korea. And it's cheaper.

The hygiene of the kitchens and pojangmacha food on the other hand.......

Last edited by Paella747; Oct 13, 2014 at 9:18 pm
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Old Oct 13, 2014, 10:27 pm
  #15  
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Originally Posted by s0ssos
Uh, where have you gone? If you go to Chinatown, then yes. If you go eastward, then no. It is comparable, if not better in some cases.
I don't eat on the Westside for Chinese food. When I have (very rare), it's been in the San Gabriel Valley.

Originally Posted by Daxiuyi
What he said.
LA Chinatown Chinese food is, well, not very authentic. Head to San Gabriel Valley, and the food there is awesome. Especially as the areas has Taiwanese, Cantonese and people from all over China, the regional variety of food there is really quite amazing ^

My friend (originally from Beijing) grew up in San Francisco and moved to LA for work. When he moved back to SF he missed the LA Chinese food
I would say if you go back 10 years, the Chinese food was much better. Over the years, it has deteriorated because these restaurants are competing with price. Also, there are some restaurants that are set up just so the people investing in a restaurant can get a green card. So they're not really looking at serving good food. Also, they serve such big portions, which I'm turned off by. I want variety when I eat. I don't want a big portion.

I'm in Asia on average every 6 weeks (primarily HKG and BKK, but from time to time, I do go to ICN or TYO). I've gotten very spoiled in having very good Chinese food and Korean food (since this is the KE forum), for that matter.
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