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In some large American cities it is mainstream. It is easy to find in the Bay Area and I am sure LA has plenty as well. In medium sized cities, I would say Thai and Vietnamese are more mainstream and Korean is the occasional exception. That is changing and 5-10 years from now it will probably be mainstream in more places. I like Korean BBQ, but don't care that much for Korean seafood.
When you sit down at a real Korean restaurant, traditionally you sit down have tea and eat appetizers. It takes about 20-30mins before you get your main courses served. How many Americans these days have that sort of patience?
Which is why many popular Korean places don't serve appetizers unless you ask for it. They know non-Koreans just want to sit down and order the main course and get out.
Not in the US. I live in a highly Asian area of the US, and Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and Chinese rule the world of Asian cuisine. Though I do love the homemade kimchi at a local Korean mart I found, and Korean ramen noodles...
Korean food may not be the most popular Asian cuisine in America, but it's not hard to find a Korean restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area. I searched yelp.com's listings for "[national cuisine] restaurant near San Francisco" and came up with the following:
I'll call it mainstream when there's a Korean restaurant directly on the Vegas strip
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bayarea4
Korean food may not be the most popular Asian cuisine in America, but it's not hard to find a Korean restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area. I searched yelp.com's listings for "[national cuisine] restaurant near San Francisco" and came up with the following:
Is there any cuisine you can't find near San Francisco?
I'd try the same search somewhere that hasn't been a major settlement point for Asian immigrants, but when I query Yelp for "Korean Restaurant" for the cities I visit most, the results include P.F. Chang's.
^ I think it's because for a long time it was mostly restricted to the Korean community. Yet there aren't many Thais in the US yet it's very popular, I guess it's like Japanese, it's just a very well known, well loved cuisine. Yet I'd like to see both Malaysian and Indonesian gaining popularity in the States, they certainly deserve it.
^ I think it's because for a long time it was mostly restricted to the Korean community. Yet there aren't many Thais in the US yet it's very popular, I guess it's like Japanese, it's just a very well known, well loved cuisine. Yet I'd like to see both Malaysian and Indonesian gaining popularity in the States, they certainly deserve it.
I agree. I think there's a difference between "available" and "mainstream". No doubt that you can easily find Korean restaurants in most major metros, but if most of the customers are Korean and 1st gen at that and the waitstaff speaks little/no English then the food will probably be awesome but that isn't "mainstream." Whereas most Thai restaurants I've been to are full of non-Thai customers (but the waitstaff is usually Thai.)
I also would live to see more Malaysian and Indonesian restaurants!
I agree. I think there's a difference between "available" and "mainstream". No doubt that you can easily find Korean restaurants in most major metros, but if most of the customers are Korean and 1st gen at that and the waitstaff speaks little/no English then the food will probably be awesome but that isn't "mainstream." Whereas most Thai restaurants I've been to are full of non-Thai customers (but the waitstaff is usually Thai.)
I also would live to see more Malaysian and Indonesian restaurants!
Yes, I've noticed this too, although there have been only a recent profusion of Korean restaurants. Before there were a few, but now I can think of at least a dozen downtown. There are a few that a lot of non-Koreans go to, but most seem full of mostly Korean tourists, students, young folks on working holiday.
Yes it's a lack of immigration but I don't know, a lack of awareness too. Singapore is often considered the no. 1 food city in Asia, Malaysia has the most diverse cuisine in all of Asia. It really is a shame it's so unknown in the States. I tried recommending my friend who lives in Portland a Malaysian restaurant but we found the only one there closed down! This in a metro of 2 million!! In Perth we have several dozen Malaysian-Singiaporean restaurants.
I also would live to see more Malaysian and Indonesian restaurants!
Yes it's a lack of immigration but I don't know, a lack of awareness too. Singapore is often considered the no. 1 food city in Asia, Malaysia has the most diverse cuisine in all of Asia. It really is a shame it's so unknown in the States. I tried recommending my friend who lives in Portland a Malaysian restaurant but we found the only one there closed down! This in a metro of 2 million!! In Perth we have several dozen Malaysian-Singiaporean restaurants.
I suspect there are a lot more Malaysian folk living in Perth than in Portland?
I'm not so sure about the popularity of Malaysian cuisine. When I visited Kuala Lumpur in 2008, I had to take a cab out away from downtown to find a Malaysian restaurant. There were no tourist-accessible places serving Malay food in the capital of Malaysia. Not that KL is particularly good for restaurant choices -- I'd plan to meet locals for a drink (a whole separate story) and we'd end up at T.G.I. Fridays drinking Heineken.
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