How The Olympics Helped Spread The Gospel Of Kimchi – Tasting Table

When Seoul got the chance to host the Summer Olympics in 1988, it marked a tremendous shift in the nation's international image. As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) points out, Korea's reputation prior to the games was deeply enmeshed in the Korean War. The games became a massive cultural showcase wherein kimchi seemed like an obvious thing to celebrate, but the event's organizers were hesitant at first.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, Olympic officials agreed to make kimchi one of the official foods of the Olympic Village, but they worried that foreign visitors would not be able to handle the smell. So great was their concern, that event staff were instructed to thoroughly brush their teeth after any time they ate kimchi. However, these fears were dismissed once guests actually arrived and sampled the dish.

Some of the first foreign nationals to sample kimchi were the athletes residing at the Olympic Village, who gave it positive press exposure. Word of kimchi reached the ears of Elaine Louie, an American reporter on site for the games, and she included it in a profile of Korean cuisine for The New York Times. That sealed the deal. According to Smithsonian Magazine, exports of kimchi skyrocketed in the immediate wake of the '88 Olympics. Kimchi became a celebrity in the culinary world, a lofty status that it retains to this day.

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How The Olympics Helped Spread The Gospel Of Kimchi - Tasting Table