- Hwang had earlier claimed on Facebook that the fried chicken sold at local restaurants weigh about 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds).
- “Some people insist that these small broiler chickens taste better than big broiler chickens,” he wrote weeks ago. “I wonder if they have ever tried big broiler chickens weighing around 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds).”
- To prove his point, he used data sourced from Korea’s Rural Development Administration (RDA), which compared small and large chicken.
- According to RDA’s report, small chicken production has resulted in higher costs and “tasteless meat,” while large chicken production brings costs down by 20%.
- Hwang also argued that local fried chicken is enjoyed more for the sauce than for the taste of the meat, making it even more expensive.
- Hwang’s comments have attracted a response from the Korea Poultry Association, which issued a statement saying that RDA’s report “shows minor differences on flavoring substances from an academic perspective, but a chicken’s size does not largely change or manipulate its taste.”
- According to the poultry association, the “small” size of Korean chicken is meant to adhere to the local food culture in which consumers tend to eat an entire chicken at a time.
- While Hwang’s take on Korean-style fried chicken has sparked online backlash, he remains undeterred in expressing his opinions of the dish.
- The report, released on Nov. 28, asked 8,500 participants from 17 major global cities about their favorite Korean food, according to Korea.net.
- Korean-style fried chicken ranks first as the most consumed Korean dish, with 16% of the respondents claiming it is their favorite.
- Kimchi takes second place with 11.3%, while bibimbap (a rice dish) takes third with 10.7% and bulgogi (marinated grilled beef) settles at fourth place with 6%.
- Hwang said Korean-style fried chicken is hardly “Korean food” since the dish does not require traditional Korean ingredients.
- “Are we really proud of the reality that fried chicken now represents Korean food?” he asked on Facebook. “Are we proud that a dish of American origin overtook all other Korean traditional delicacies and scored highest among foreigners?”
- In an interview with Korea Times, Hwang pointed out that Korean-style fried chicken is popular internationally due mainly to overseas marketing: “Most Korean dramas show fried chicken on-screen as product placement. That is why so many people overseas perceive Korean chicken as a signature food.”