USMEF-Korea Educates “Power Bloggers” on U.S. Beef and Pork
Reaching out to an extremely influential media source in South Korea, USMEF-Korea staff recently conducted a cooking class and education session in Seoul for a group of 10 leading bloggers who are focused on food, nutrition and cooking.
Dubbed “power bloggers” for their disproportionate influence in this tech-savvy nation, the group of 10 was invited by USMEF for a special hands-on session last month, funded with support from the pork and beef checkoff programs, that included:
- A cooking demonstration by Chef Kwon Hee-yeol, the chef de cuisine of the five-star Grand Hyatt’s Café Terrace
- A presentation by David Moody, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, who was part of a visiting Iowa pork producers team, on the commitment of U.S. farmers to product safety and quality
- Information designed to dispel Korean consumers’ misconceptions regarding U.S. beef and pork products presented by Jihae Yang, USMEF-Korea director
“After the public protests last summer, it has been challenging for us to communicate with consumers and provide accurate information about the safety and quality of U.S. beef and pork,” said Yang. “Given the reputation and influence that these internet bloggers have, we felt it would be beneficial to reach out to them to help them learn the truth about U.S. beef and pork for themselves.”
After Chef Kwon conducted his cooking demonstrations – all the while emphasizing the superiority of U.S. pork and beef based on his experiences – the bloggers had the opportunity to cook the same dishes themselves with help from Kwon and his two assistant chefs. The bloggers, chefs, USMEF staff and members of the Iowa pork team sampled the dishes before enjoying a formal lunch prepared by Chef Kwon featuring U.S. pork belly with chili cream mustard sauce and U.S. short rib with wine sauce.
The bloggers, who attract anywhere from 1,000 to 17,000 daily visitors to their popular Web sites, came away from the program with very positive impressions regarding the tenderness, taste and texture of U.S. pork and beef. They also indicated that the program helped clarify many misunderstandings that they had, particularly regarding U.S. beef.
“It was a very special and unforgettable event,” wrote Moojigae, a blogger whose postings attract more than 16,000 visitors per day. “This kind of special invitation refreshes my daily life. I want to thank the host of the event for all the details and concerns… I would be ready in a second to participate in such an event if I get to be invited again.”
“The beef I used for cooking practice was the same that I had tasted in the U.S. previously,” said Misangu, a blogger who averages more than 4,300 daily visitors to his Web site, “and the U.S. pork that I used for the first time was amazingly tender. We also had a perfectly prepared luncheon after the cooking class with Chef Kwon…and a good lecture (on the attributes of U.S. beef and pork). Overall, I can call it a premium cooking class with no hesitation.”
This was the second cooking class conducted for the power bloggers, with the first coming in December 2007. In addition to the program, participating bloggers received samples of U.S. ribs and pork belly, a personalized chef’s jacket and a commemorative plate.
Within days of the program, eight of the bloggers had posted 13 articles highlighting delicious recipes using U.S. beef and pork, including one (Misangu) whose articles were posted to seven major portal sites.
Following are links to several of the blog sites:
http://blog.naver.com/ckwldud1
http://blog.naver.com/musoi99
http://blog.naver.com/yummycook
Reaching out to an extremely influential media source in South Korea, USMEF-Korea staff recently conducted a cooking class and education session in Seoul for a group of 10 leading bloggers who are focused on food, nutrition and cooking.
Dubbed “power bloggers” for their disproportionate influence in this tech-savvy nation, the group of 10 was invited by USMEF for a special hands-on session last month, funded with support from the pork and beef checkoff programs, that included:
- A cooking demonstration by Chef Kwon Hee-yeol, the chef de cuisine of the five-star Grand Hyatt’s Café Terrace
- A presentation by David Moody, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, who was part of a visiting Iowa pork producers team, on the commitment of U.S. farmers to product safety and quality
- Information designed to dispel Korean consumers’ misconceptions regarding U.S. beef and pork products presented by Jihae Yang, USMEF-Korea director
“After the public protests last summer, it has been challenging for us to communicate with consumers and provide accurate information about the safety and quality of U.S. beef and pork,” said Yang. “Given the reputation and influence that these internet bloggers have, we felt it would be beneficial to reach out to them to help them learn the truth about U.S. beef and pork for themselves.”
After Chef Kwon conducted his cooking demonstrations – all the while emphasizing the superiority of U.S. pork and beef based on his experiences – the bloggers had the opportunity to cook the same dishes themselves with help from Kwon and his two assistant chefs. The bloggers, chefs, USMEF staff and members of the Iowa pork team sampled the dishes before enjoying a formal lunch prepared by Chef Kwon featuring U.S. pork belly with chili cream mustard sauce and U.S. short rib with wine sauce.
The bloggers, who attract anywhere from 1,000 to 17,000 daily visitors to their popular Web sites, came away from the program with very positive impressions regarding the tenderness, taste and texture of U.S. pork and beef. They also indicated that the program helped clarify many misunderstandings that they had, particularly regarding U.S. beef.
“It was a very special and unforgettable event,” wrote Moojigae, a blogger whose postings attract more than 16,000 visitors per day. “This kind of special invitation refreshes my daily life. I want to thank the host of the event for all the details and concerns… I would be ready in a second to participate in such an event if I get to be invited again.”
“The beef I used for cooking practice was the same that I had tasted in the U.S. previously,” said Misangu, a blogger who averages more than 4,300 daily visitors to his Web site, “and the U.S. pork that I used for the first time was amazingly tender. We also had a perfectly prepared luncheon after the cooking class with Chef Kwon…and a good lecture (on the attributes of U.S. beef and pork). Overall, I can call it a premium cooking class with no hesitation.”
This was the second cooking class conducted for the power bloggers, with the first coming in December 2007. In addition to the program, participating bloggers received samples of U.S. ribs and pork belly, a personalized chef’s jacket and a commemorative plate.
Within days of the program, eight of the bloggers had posted 13 articles highlighting delicious recipes using U.S. beef and pork, including one (Misangu) whose articles were posted to seven major portal sites.
Following are links to several of the blog sites:
http://blog.naver.com/ckwldud1
http://blog.naver.com/musoi99
http://blog.naver.com/yummycook