[Kulture Issue] What's the latest K-food trending in the U.S.?

Bibimbap, bulgogi, fried chicken. Which K-food comes to mind first? Today we want to talk about the latest K-food trend in the U.S. as well as a product that's been enjoying a surge in exports to the country. For that, we are now connected with Robert Ku, Managing Editor of Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook, a major book project at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. Hello Mr. Koo!

1) K-food exports to the U.S. last year amounted to 1.59 billion dollars, making the U.S. the top export destination for Korean food items. Do you feel this rising interest around you?

2) By item, Korea’s instant noodles, or ramyeon, is the number one K-food export to the U.S. right now. Why do you think we’re seeing this trend? (What’s unique about Korean instant noodles and among which group do you see the biggest popularity?)

3) What are some other rising "K-food stars" in the U.S. right now?

4) Kimbap, jjigae, tteokbokki and quite recently dalgona (famous through Squid Game), are Korean foods that were added to Oxford Dictionary in the past years. In addition to those, which Korean food items do you think deserve to be in English dictionaries?

5) (And maybe these answers will somewhat be equivalent to this next one ) which K-food do you believe could become the next big hit in the U.S.?

6) As a culture expert, could you share some advice for our global viewers on how to enjoy K-food to the fullest?