Annyeonghaseyo. Eotteohke jinaeseyo? That’s Korean. It literally translated as ‘Hello. How are you?’ in English. I learned the phrases long time ago when I was still a teenager. During that time, Halyu fever and Kpop culture hits Malaysia and like many others, I go crazy about it too. Who wouldn’t? Korean dramas and Korean artists are simply irresistible. The dramas that they came up with does not only have beautiful background settings but memorable storylines as well. Their songs on the other hand, have catchy tunes that you would want to sing over and over again.

Some of the K-dramas that have a strong and lingering impression on me to this very day is Winter Sonata, Autumn in My Heart, Summer Scent, Spring Waltz, Goong, Fullhouse, Playful Kiss and many more. It will take forever for me to list all of my favourite Korean dramas that I could watch over and over again without even blink but here’s a question. What does Korea have to offer apart from Halyu fever and Kpop culture?

Why, tourism and food, of course. Korea is a picturesque and scenic country with rich cultural diversity that have a lot to offer. The food are also tastefully unique and one of it’s kind. Since the Halyu and Kpop wave hits the shore of Malaysia, Korean food has been somewhat a phenomenom in the F&B industry. You can see Korean restaurants mushrooming around and typical Korean food like kimchi and instant ramen being sold in the groceries store.

Problem? Yes. Malaysia is an Islamic country where the majorities are Muslims. For Muslims to be able to enjoy and consume Korean food, it needs to be Halal and naturally, most Korean food are either non-Halal or just pork-free.

Realizing how important it is for anything related go Korean products to thrive in Malaysia, the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs(MARFA) has taken huge initiative to get their food Halal certified so that not only Muslims in Malaysia could enjoy, but Muslims from all over the world could too. Needless to say, having Korean food and products certified Halal will help Muslim travelers enjoy their stay with ease too while they are in Korea.

Want to discover and learn more about Korean food and culture? Right now, as of writing, Korean Food Fair Festival 2015 is ongoing at Midvalley Convention Centre from 14-16 August 2015. You can not only find out more about the Halal certification process and whatnot, but also sample food and join in various interactive activities provided, including craft making and wearing Korean traditional costumes.

The K-Food Fair 2015 is organized by the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and supervised by aT( Korea Agro-Fisheries&Food Trade Corp). Lead by the theme of ‘Touch Food, Sweeten Your Life’, the fair is a part of a global marketing program directed towards improving awareness of versatility of Korean food for the global Halal market; as well to advocate Korea’s concept of cultural interchange through its colourful and enriching food experience. Over ten Korean food corporations such as CJ CheilJedang, Daewon Co, Jinju Horticultural Export Agricultural Complex, Punggi Premium Goods Agricultural Cooperative, Mommake and more will be showcasing their products here at the K-Food Fair.

The Korean companies are holding food sampling session that attributed to the four seasons of Korea in a year, which is Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Spring booth

Various Halal K Food products being showcased.

Spring harvests

Straw mushrooms

Paper lantern making workshop. Here, you will be shown how to make your own paper lanterns.

Making paper lantern

Paper lantern. Usually made during
The Lotus Lantern Festival, also known as Yeondeunghoe or the “Feast of Lanterns,” is one of the most celebrated Buddhist ceremonies held in Korea. On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month (late April or early May of the Roman calendar), hundreds of thousands of candlelit paper lanterns are raised throughout the country to commemorate the Buddha’s birthday. In addition to the popular eight-sided lantern painted with Buddhist symbols of longevity and good fortune, lanterns are also constructed in various shapes and sizes based on themes of birth—including turtles, watermelon, fish, and ducks. These decorative lanterns are suspended in the front of every household, one lantern for each family member, with their names and prayers written on narrow sheets of white paper that sway gently from the base of the lanterns.

Summer booth

Delicious shaved ice can be sampled here at the Summer booth.

A closer look at the famous Korean iced dessert, the snow ice. Commonly served during summer, the shaved ice are placed in a cup and topped with sweet fruity syrup and assorted dried fruits and preserves.

Korean flavoured milk. Comes in 3 different flavours, honeydew, strawberry and banana.

With its long history, almost everyone in Korea knows Binggrae’s Banana Flavored Milk. Those who tasted the milk when they were young tend to consume the same product when they are grown up.The popularity of Banana Flavored Milk among people of all ages is, first of all, attributed to its taste. It consists of 80 percent milk, giving it a soft and savory taste. In Korea, there are few flavored milks that have such a high content of natural milk. If you happen to be there at the K-Food Fair, do give this a try. It’s sensational.

Drinks commonly enjoyed during summer, lemonade and fruit mojito.

A healthier alternative to summer drinks, fruit vinegar. Also can be used as cooking ingredients.

Spotted at the summer booth, folding fan decorating workshop.

Some nicely decorated folding fans by visitors.

Here’s mine. Not very artful, no? Sorry. I don’t have a lot of practice at this. This will have to do. :p

Autumn booth

Health foodstuff found in the autumn booth.

Korean Black Ginseng, is said to have medicinal values and helps to prolong longevity.

Winter booth

Spotted at the winter booth, instant Korean rice cakes. This is commonly sold in Korea by the roadside or restaurants.

Cheesy version of Korean rice cakes as oppose to the original spicy flavour.

Instant ramen

More instant ramen. These are quite famous. Even I have a few packs of these in my kitchen.

Exploring further in the K-Food Fair, I found more Halal Korean food products that we can enjoy.

Traditional vermicelli.

Fresh Udon

The iconic Kimchi

Mushroom pickle and marinated mushroom.

Seaweed

Flavoured honey in jars

Premium Korean Seafood stall

Cooking demo sessions where you can sample food that’s freshy cooked.

Korean food are famous for not only being delicious but high in nutritional values. So if do check out this K-Food Fair. The K-Food Fair 2015 will be ongoing from 14-16 August 2015 in Mid Valley Exhibition Centre, Level 4. For more information on the K-Food Fair 2015, please hop over to www.kfoodfair2015.com . The hashtag for all things social media for K-Food Fair 2015 is #kfoodfair2015. Don’t forget to take a selfie or two and post it on your Facebook or Instagram and be a part of K-Food Fair 2015.