Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Connoisseurs of Grease

It's no secret that South Koreans love fried chicken and beer.  There's even a portmanteau -- "chi-mek" -- for the succulent and boozy combination.  And now, enter the "chimmelier," or certified (!) chi-mek expert:
"The first session was a paper test composed of 30 multiple choice questions. Some asked simple history questions about the global origins of fried chicken and the oldest chicken brands in Korea, but many required up-to-date knowledge of the latest items from chicken franchises and their marketing campaigns, like celebrity spokespeople and jingle lyrics.
A company spokesman said that the test only required knowledge of the best-known 30 chicken franchises in Korea.
'This year’s test was made to show more distinction among candidates. We invited staff from chicken franchises and members of college chicken clubs to take part in developing the questionnaires,' said [event sponsor] Baemin."
The event was not without controversy, however, as another thing South Koreans love is public protest:
"The Sunday test was a festival for chicken lovers, but at one point the event was ambushed by animal activists. Before the test started, a group of around 10 people rushed in the room with picket signs. They shouted 'eating killed chicken is not funny,' and urged people to stop eating fried chicken. The chaos went on for about five minutes before the hotel staff removed them from the building."
Also, there's apparently now a "Chichelin Guide" to chi-mek joints.  Oy.

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