Snapshots from South Korea: Electronic Menu Console Helps Tourists Order Food
Last month I visited Seoul, South Korea, Here's a look at something I ate from my trip. For more, check out the rest of my Snapshots from South Korea.
For a city where most people don't speak English, Seoul does a good job (and seems to be constantly trying to improve) accommodating English-speaking tourists and expats. Metro announcements are made in Korean and English, streets signs have English translations, and every taxi has a sticker with a phone number you can call if you need a translator. But what if you're clueless about Korean food? Tourists without a Korean speaker by their side may end up ordering something they don't like, or forgo a meal altogether since they can't read the menu.
An electronic menu console in the form of a touchscreen PDA was developed by the the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) to help non-Korean speakers order food at a restaurant. The console provides photos along with ingredient and preparation information about the restaurant's dishes in English, Japanese, and Chinese, and allows customers to place their order through the console. Maureen O'Crowley, Senior Director of International Marketing & Conventions for the STO, says that the idea came from her boss, Samuel Koo, who thinks the console's photos and information will be a great help to those who aren't knowledgeable about Korea food.
The console is currently being used at four Korean restaurants—Doore, Goongyeon, Daerimjung, and Hanwoori—and one Chinese restaurant—Dongchao—all picked by the STO. So far the response from customers has been positive, but while the participating restaurants also think it's a good device, they're concerned about the price—2.5 million (about $1,940) per console, which includes the costs of making the contents. Considering that the menu consoles were just released in January, the price should go down from here.
While I'm lucky that my personal "menu console" during my trip was the group of Seoul residents who brought me around the city and acted as my translators, not everyone else can be so lucky. The first time I ate bibimbap in New York City I didn't even know I was supposed to mix it until the waitress looked at me funnily, grabbed my chopsticks, and did it for me. On retrospect, it seems like it was obvious, but I'm surely not the only person who's ever made that mistake. Right? [tumbleweed rolls by]
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
7 Comments:
Overpriced. No thanks
mandarin at 5:29PM on 06/29/09
I received many funny look, followed by aggravated demonstration lessons in Korean restaurants. Always, frequent repetitions of, "Are you SURE you want that?"
Hannekin at 7:14PM on 06/29/09
It's expensive now but so were the first cellphones. I think it's a great idea and can't wait to see what it can be in time.
DanaMcCauley at 7:32PM on 06/29/09
Thanks for the post. I think that most restaurants in the future will be using this sort of system. Hey, I think it would be cool if you could just order stuff from an ipod touch instead of the large console.
Daniel Gray at 2:33AM on 06/30/09
This is neat, but one of my favorite parts of eating abroad is the mystery of having no idea what I've ordered. It usually (though not always!) turns out well.
emgroff at 1:22PM on 06/30/09
Loved reading all your posts about Korea.
Though I'm in Philly now, I lived in Korea for a while when i was younger, so sometimes i miss real Korean food, especially the street foods, and smaller alleyway shops.
btw, were you ever tempted to try Bosintang (dog stew)?
When I visited Korea 7 years ago, i was tricked(?) by my friends to try it.
The stew was pungent and nutty but your typical Korean spicy soup.
The steamed meat was a bit greasy but very very tender.
After getting over the shock and uncomfortableness , I had to say i enjoyed the meal.
MikeC at 2:51AM on 07/12/09
@MikeC: I wasn't tempted to try bosintang, but then the opportunity to eat it didn't really arise...if I lived there I'd probably try it at some point!
Robyn Lee at 11:10AM on 07/12/09