Dense in the head that I am, it still took me all of 3 seconds to realize how the City of Irvine came to host the Irvine Korean Cultural Festival tomorrow. Steven Choi, city councilman and a candidate for mayor, is also its founder. Why tomorrow? Well, because today, January 13th, is the day the City “permanently recognized” as Korean-American Day in Irvine in 2008.
According to the website: “January 13 was chosen because it was on that day in 1903 that 102 pioneer immigrants arrived in Hawaii to work the sugar cane fields.”
This is the third year of the festival.
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As always, there will be music, several performances of Korean dancing, booths with arts and crafts, children's activities and Kia and Hyundai automobiles on display; but this is a food blog, and the reason I'd even spend precious pixels on events like this is because there will be things to eat. The following vendors, most of them Irvine-based businesses, will be there:
- Arirang BBQ – Kalbi (short rib BBQ), Chicken-Skewer
- BBQ Chicken – Dduk-bbok-ee (hot and spicy rice cake)
- Chaebahn/IKPA – Dumplings, Veggie Pancakes
- Cafe Primo – Bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables and beef), Stir fried glass noodles, Bulgogi
- Pulmuone Wildwood – Kimchi making demonstration
Here are the details.
When: January 14th, 2012, 10:00am to 5:00pm
Where: Irvine Civic Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza Irvine, California 92606
Free Admission.
For more info, check http://www.irvinekoreanfestival.com
Shame that the Occupy Irvine encampment at the Civic Center lawn just happened to end this week, right before the festivities.
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Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.