Last weekend's food fest shines light on nonprofit's mission
There was a whole lot of kim chi last weekend at the second annual Korean Food Festival in Portland.
Attendees indulged in kim chi tamales, kim chi pancakes, kim chi brisket and luxurious bowls of chilled seafood marinated in a kim chi vinaigrette and topped with kim chi ice, to name a few dishes.
The gateway food to Korean fare, kim chi can be both sweet and spicy; its a funky, fermented blank canvas, so to speak, for all sorts of ingredient and flavor combinations that tickle the fancy of food innovators in Portland and beyond.
Just recently, The Daily Meal called it Americas trendiest Asian cuisine.
Sam Kim is hoping people wont stop at kim chi. He and his wife, Jenny, founded the Korean American Council two years ago to spread awareness of Korean culture here in Portland and statewide.
Hundreds of Korean and non-Koreans attended the Korean Food Festival at Ecotrust in Northwest Portland, sampling soju cocktails and even a special Thunder Island Brewing Co. kim chi beer.
Korean flavors are definitely the latest obsession, here and nationally, and Kim says thats not a surprise.
When it comes to different ethnic restaurants and food, Korean is probably some of most authentic you can get it hasnt been as Americanized, says Kim, 42, an emergency room physician whos lived in Portland after moving from Los Angeles in 2001.
That honestly has more to do with how the Korean community are gun-shy. They like to keep to themselves. There hasnt been a lot of outreach from the Korean community to the non-Korean community.
Because of that, a lot of Korean restaurants have managed to stay true to their recipes, Kim adds. When non-Korean people come to try our food, its unadulterated, vibrant, super funky, not watered-down flavors. Thats in vogue right now; thats the thing.
But the Korean American Council, of which Kim is president, is hardly just about food.
They have applied for community outreach grants to help with their agenda, which has three main goals.
First, they have begun work registering members of their community to vote, which is crucial especially this election year.
Theyre aiming to sign up at least 500 new voters this year, which is sometimes as simple as hanging outside a Korean supermarket, church or cultural event and talking to people.
Koreans in general have historically not been very demonstrative with political power, Kim says. They just dont vote, dont see the point of it. We want to educate them on why its important to exercise their right to vote.
The KAC also will use some of their grant funds to help get ballots translated.
Second, besides voter outreach, the KAC wants to encourage and support their younger generation to get involved in leadership opportunities both in the community and local politics.
A third huge goal is to try to help their first-generation members integrate into the larger Portland community by seeing the value of it.
Currently, theyre kind of shy because of their language skills and because the status quo is comfortable, Kim says.
But Kim recalls living in Los Angeles when the Rodney King riots happened. I saw firsthand what happens when a community doesnt reach out and form bridges with the larger community they live in. Not like a riots going to happen in Portland, but I want to see stronger bridges formed as a whole. I dont want us to be seen as outsiders or foreigners.
Case in point: When Kim reached out to the many small, local Korean restaurateurs (most of which are Beaverton-based) to be part of the Korean Food Festival this year, he wasnt successful persuading any of them to join in.
Instead, the lineup featured popular Korean and non-Korean names in the Portland and national scene, including Bo Kwon of Koi Fusion and Gregory Gourdet of Departure restaurant.
For smaller restaurateurs, Its outside their comfort zone, Kim says. Its often difficult to convince them to see the point. Hopefully, if this becomes a more established event (nationally), they will see the point.
As the festival wraps up and the KAC forges ahead with their work, Kim is hoping to use the momentum to accomplish their mission.
Dont forget to venture out, and go beyond the kim chi.
For more: www.kacoregon.org.
@jenmomanderson