Unit 4: Gastrodiplomacy

Let's talk

1. What is the most typical food from your country?

2. Do you think food can change how people see a country?

🌍 What is Gastrodiplomacy?

Transcript

Korean culture seems to be everywhere in America nowadays — from films to music, and especially food. And that's a good thing. It's part of a yearlong, multi-million dollar effort by the South Korean government to get Americans interested in Korean culture. It demonstrates the power of what is often referred to as gastrodiplomacy.

You've heard the music, seen the movies, and probably eaten the food. This is a golden time for Korean culture, and a golden time for Korean cuisine too. Just blocks away from New York City's Korea Town, we met Chef Jang-yang Park and his wife Ellia. They say when they moved here a decade ago, this neighborhood felt very different.

"Maybe like 70% of the people in the restaurant were Korean."

The pair wanted to diversify K-Town's clientele, opening Atomix in 2018 with the goal of attracting Americans to a more modern Korean menu — with dishes like sardine on marinated rice, gim bugak, and striped jack with yellow pepper and red cabbage. The couple have caught the attention of diners and critics, earning two Michelin stars and inspiring curiosity beyond what's on the plate.

"They're curious about what Korean culture is, and so what Korea is."

But that recent and growing interest isn't just coincidence. A nation using its cuisine to attract tourism and visibility — the main ingredient here is something called gastrodiplomacy.

"Not everybody can be on the permanent Council of the UN, but you can have cuisine that people want to eat."

Johanna Mendelson Forman teaches gastrodiplomacy at American University. She told us the term was coined in 2002 by The Economist magazine, after Thailand wrote the playbook. The government gave its foreign nationals concessional loans to open restaurants around the world.

"They went from 2,000 to something like 177,000 restaurants in a decade."

"So it's not a coincidence that you see Thai restaurants on every corner?"

"Absolutely not. It's a strategy."

That strategy made Thailand a foodie destination, with tourism tripling since the campaign started. South Korea's gastrodiplomacy campaign began in 2009. Over the last 15 years, their government has spent roughly $150 million bringing its food to the world stage — a lot of advertising, a lot of promotion of export products, subsidies to private sector groups.

Government data from South Korea shows the investment is paying off. Since the campaign began, Korean food exports have more than doubled, with kimchi exports hitting an all-time high last year. And the US was one of the biggest buyers. This is soft power.

For these restaurateurs, that boost in global visibility means a culture once foreign has become familiar here in America.

"Now when we go to K-Town, like maybe 80% of the customers are from other countries. Yeah, definitely not a restaurant only for Korean people — it's for everyone."

And important to mention: Korean culture and cuisine isn't just existing on the world stage right now — it is thriving. The number of Korean Michelin star restaurants was zero in 2010. Today, it's 23. And most of the people who are actually going to those restaurants are non-Korean. And that's the whole point of gastrodiplomacy.

"I think it's so fascinating. We've talked about this — how oftentimes ethnic cuisines do not get the same respect that European cuisines get. And now they finally are, especially in fine dining."

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Comprehension Questions

Watch the video again and answer:

 

🎯

a) What is gastrodiplomacy?

b) When did the Thai government start the program?

c) What other countries decided to follow suit and promote their cuisine overseas?

d) What city is known as the refugee capital of the US?

Answer Key

a) It means using food to extend a country's cultural influence.

b) In 2002.

c) South Korea, Peru, Malaysia, Lebanon, Taiwan, Japan, the USA

d) Lancaster in Pennsylvania

🎯 Numbers from the Video

Look at these impressive numbers from the video. What do they tell us?

🌎 Discussion: Food and Culture

Let's think deeper about the connection between food and identity:

1. Why do you think some cuisines (French, Italian, Japanese) are considered "sophisticated" while others are not?

2. What do you think about promoting a country through gastrodiplomacy?

3. Is food culture an important element of your country's identity? What's the role of food?

4. What's your favourite foreign dish? How did you discover it?

5. Do you think Brazilian food could become as famous as Thai or Korean food? What would it take?

Speaking Activity: Describe a Dish

 

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Work in pairs:

Think of a dish you like (from your country or another). Describe it to your partner using these questions:

• What's it called? Where is it from?

• What are the main ingredients?

• How is it prepared/cooked?

• When do people usually eat it? (special occasions, everyday meals, etc.)

• Why did you choose this dish?

 

🎤 Final Speaking: If You Were the Minister...

📖 Guided Reading: Could Gastrodiplomacy Work for Brazil?

Opinion: Why Brazil Should Invest in Gastrodiplomacy

An analysis of how promoting Brazilian cuisine abroad could boost tourism, exports, and soft power.

When Thailand's government decided to give concessional loans to its foreign nationals to open restaurants around the world, few could have predicted the results. The country went from 2,000 to 177,000 Thai restaurants in just a decade, and tourism tripled. South Korea followed suit in 2009, spending roughly $150 million over 15 years to bring its cuisine to the world stage. Since then, Korean food exports have more than doubled, with kimchi exports hitting an all-time high. This is soft power at its finest — and many experts believe Brazil should be paying attention.

"Brazilian food is way more diverse than most foreigners realize," argues food journalist Ana Trajano. "We have regional dishes that are as sophisticated as any European cuisine, but we're simply not as well-known as we should be on the international stage."

The potential is enormous. Brazil could realistically become a foodie destination — but the path forward is more complicated than it might seem. Unlike Korean BBQ or pad thai, Brazilian food is more regional and harder to standardize. Feijoada from Rio is different from feijoada in Salvador. Açaí in Belém tastes nothing like the açaí bowls taking over American cities.

Still, market analysts point to promising signs. Açaí is already the most popular Brazilian superfood abroad, with global sales growing faster than any other health food category. Pão de queijo, meanwhile, could be considered easier to export than feijoada because it requires fewer ingredients and has a longer shelf life. These products could be Brazil's "gateway dishes" — a bit like how sushi introduced Americans to Japanese cuisine decades ago.

"The United States would be the best market for launching such a campaign," notes cultural researcher Pedro Lima. "Americans are more open to trying new foods than Europeans, and there's already curiosity about Brazil. The Brazilian community there is also much larger than in most other countries, which helps build authenticity."

Of course, challenges remain. Korea earned Michelin stars for 23 restaurants — up from zero in 2010. Could Brazil achieve similar recognition? Critics argue that Brazilian cuisine doesn't fit neatly into the fine dining mold, while supporters counter that this perception is more about marketing than quality.

Any Brazilian initiative would need substantial investment. However, supporters argue that social media makes promotion less expensive and far more efficient than it was 20 years ago. A viral TikTok video could do what took Thailand years to accomplish through traditional advertising.

Could Brazil become the next gastrodiplomacy success story? The competition for the world's taste buds is getting more intense every year. But with the right strategy, Brazilian cuisine could finally get the global visibility it deserves.

Find in the Text!

Go back to the text and find examples of:

Grammar Focus: Comparatives, Superlatives & As...as

What Do You Believe?

Complete the blanks with YOUR opinion, then defend it for 1 minute!

1. For food campaigns, the US is ___ market in the world.

2. Thai food is _____________ Korean food.

3. Among all superfoods, açaí is ___.

4. Social media is _____________ TV for promoting food.

5. Brazilian cuisine is _____________ French cuisine.

6. Of all Asian cuisines, Japanese food is ___internationally.

Degree Modifiers

Make your comparisons stronger or weaker! Degree modifiers go BEFORE comparatives to show the size of the difference:

🎤 Project: Your Gastrodiplomacy Campaign

📋 Your campaign must include:

✅ Language Checklist:

🎙️ Presentation Day

🥗 Food Idioms

Discuss the questions below.