A class in Paris in which participants can cook and try Korean dishes appearing in Korean dramas are gaining popularity in the French capital.
The Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo on Nov. 24 ran the article "Amid K-drama craze, Parisians make dalgona (honeycomb candy) and tteokbokki (spicy rice cake)" to introduce a cooking class under the theme "Korean food within Hallyu (Korean Wave)."
Written by Dong-A's correspondent in Paris, the story said the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) there organized the class in line with rising requests from Paris residents for classes in Korean cuisine amid the global boom in Hallyu. Though each class has a limit of 10 students due to social distancing to prevent COVID-19 and the limited supply of cooking equipment, hundreds have registered for spots every time a class is offered.
The class started on Nov. 8 and runs twice a week until the first week of next month. Students can cook and eat Korean dishes shown in Korean movies or dramas.
During one class on Nov. 22, students made Korean-style corn dogs appearing in the K-drama "Start-Up," which is about a group of young adults starting their own companies. Previous classes covered tteokbokki, bibim dangmyeon (spicy glass noodles), sotteok-sotteok, (sausage and rice cake skewers) and modumjeon (pan-fried pancakes).
Two students told Dong-A that 'Start-Up' depicted well the lives of young adults in the 21st century, adding that they wanted to taste Korean corn dogs after watching the corn dog business of the protagonist's grandmother.
"The strengths of Korean content are variety and quality, and Korean food seems the same," another student added. "I'd like to learn how to cook Korean food here and sell them at my store."
And one student said, "I like to meet people who are also interested in Korea like myself in the class."
The KCC in Paris said the class slated for Nov. 23 has attracted a higher-than-usual number of applicants since the topic is making dalgona (honeycomb candy), which shot to global fame after appearing in the smash Netflix K-drama "Squid Game."
