'If you're not Korean, you can't cook Korean food' – Jinjja Chicken reveals Singaporean roots
Jinjja Chicken was founded in 2015, and for the last decade, Bernard has laid low, avoiding revealing that Jinjja Chicken is a homegrown brand. He admits that the misconception that Jinjja is a Korean brand is a common one, and in the past, he did not bother to correct people. Even those close to him had the assumption that he had bought the franchise.
Bernard chose to sell Korean fried chicken as he was a big fan of the dish. He recalled an incident where a potential customer asked the cashier if the owner of Jinjja Chicken was Korean. When he was told that the owner was Singaporean, he walked away, saying that the food wouldn't be good since the owner wasn't Korean.
'There is a stigma that if you are not South Korean, you can't cook Korean fried chicken well,' Bernard said. Now that Jinjja Chicken is doing well with 8 outlets locally and about S$10 million in yearly revenue, Bernard is ready to let the public know about the brand's Singaporean roots. The brand also plans to open outlets in other parts of Asia, such as China, Thailand and Vietnam.
'We are a Singaporean brand and we are also doing well overseas,' said Bernard. 'I hope people will support Singaporeans who dare to sell cuisines which are not local.'
Jade's Chicken: Authentic Korean-owned stall with honey butter fried chicken, jjajangmyeon & army stew in Toa Payoh coffeeshop
The post 'If you're not Korean, you can't cook Korean food' – Jinjja Chicken reveals Singaporean roots appeared first on SETHLUI.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
7 minutes ago
- UPI
Civil society group urges national reset on Korean liberation's 80th anniversary
South Korean people give three cheers during the 79th anniversary of the Korean Liberation Day from Japan, at the Bosingak pavilion in Seoul on August 15, 2024. File Photo by Jeon Heon-kyun/EPA Aug. 14 (UPI) -- The 80th anniversary Friday of Japan's World War II surrender announcement is a most significant date for Koreans. The day marks their liberation from Japanese colonial rule. Amid the celebrations, one organization, Action for Korea United, is challenging the current state and future direction of South Korea. Speaking to an international audience at a forum on "International Support for a Free and Unified Korea," Hyun Jin Preston Moon, an AKU founder, said that it was time for Koreans to take stock of where the country stood. "The Miracle on the Han has hit its peak and will face a sharp decline," he said. "There is urgent need for reform and renewal in every sphere of national life." He identified three major challenges facing Korea today. The first is the breakdown of the traditional Korean extended family model. The material prosperity generated by rapid economic growth, "without an animating vision rooted in some deeper national purpose," has eroded social and cultural bonds, he said. This has led to a drastic decline in marriage rates and family formation. South Korea now faces a demographic crisis with the lowest birthrate in the world. At 0.7 live births per woman, this is far below the replacement rate of 2.1 births, which will lead to a declining tax base to support welfare programs for the retired population. The second challenge is the chaebol system. Chaebols are the very large Korean conglomerates that dominate the economy and stifle innovation from start-ups. The four largest chaebols create 40% of gross domestic product, while, according to a 2019 report, 64 chaebols produced 84% of GDP while only employing 10% of the workforce. The third challenge is South Korea's export-led economy. Exports make up 44% of GDP, compared with 22% for Japan and 20% for China, according to figures for 2023. This makes Korea uniquely vulnerable to U.S. trade tariffs. The long-term answer is an expanded domestic market. Moon pointed out that reunification would provide development investment opportunities in the North, as well as a new labor source and market. He noted that these challenges call for "a unifying vision that can bring [Korea's] many disparate parts together rooted in a renewed Korean identity." The vision proposed has become known as the "Korean Dream." It aims to revive a strong sense of Korean identity, bridging political and ideological divides by looking to moments of unity and national purpose from the past. One such moment is the March 1 Independence movement of 1919 that mobilized 10% of the population in mass, non-violent demonstrations in support of the Korean Declaration of Independence from Japanese rule. The movement united people from diverse religious and political backgrounds in the common purpose of establishing a "united, independent and free" Korea. They, in turn, looked back to Korea's origin story and the principle identified with it, hongik ingan -- living for the greater benefit of humanity. This principle runs like a thread through Korean history, engendering a sense that the Korean people are called to serve a higher purpose. Moon made three proposals for the current South Korean government: • The previous administration had published the 8.15 Doctrine, a reunification platform heavily modeled on the Korean Dream. This administration should also adopt the Korean Dream vision. • The Ministry of Unification should be replaced by a non-governmental advisory committee to remove partisan politics from the unification agenda and ensure continuity. • The Korean Dream should be incorporated into the curriculum in all primary and secondary schools. Moon is the author of the book Korean Dream: A Vision for Unification. AKU is the largest coalition of civil society organizations committed to the advancement of Korea reunification. The forum drew together former heads of state and government officials, policy experts and scholars, religious leaders and civil society activists from around the world. Sessions focused on different regions of the world and how each might contribute support and lessons learned to the reunification process. These included Latin America and Africa, the Indo-Pacific, Northeast Asia and the United States., plus the Korean diaspora and North Korean escapees. The forum is part of a larger event, the 2025 Korean Hangang Festa, that will culminate Friday evening with a public rally on the banks of the Han River. This will feature a concert highlighting the historic unification-themed "Song of the New Era" and a drone and light show. Chairperson Chung Un-chan, a former prime minister, said that the festival was more than just a celebration. "In a time marked by political polarization and ideological conflict, this festival aspires to serve as a catalyst for overcoming division and rediscovering the shared values that can guide us toward a unified future."
Business Insider
38 minutes ago
- Business Insider
North Korea's tallest building is an abandoned hotel that has never hosted a single guest. Take a look at the 'Hotel of Doom.'
Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, is one of the tallest unoccupied buildings in the world. Construction on the "Hotel of Doom" began in 1987 and has stopped and started several times. One side of the 1,080-foot building has been outfitted with LED screens used for light shows. At 1,080 feet, North Korea 's Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang is one of the tallest unoccupied buildings in the world. The 105-story "Hotel of Doom," which is also North Korea's tallest building, has never hosted a single guest. Construction began almost 40 years ago, and it is not yet complete — the cost of finishing the building is estimated to be around 5% of the country's entire GDP. Still, Ryugyong Hotel remains a subject of international fascination. Here's the story behind the abandoned skyscraper that dominates the capital city's skyline. Construction on the Ryugyong Hotel began in Pyongyang in 1987, but halted due to economic troubles in North Korea. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, North Korea lost its main trading partner and source of aid, spurring an economic crisis. The hotel reached its full height in 1992, but the inside was never completed. To this day, it has never hosted a single guest. Despite its aversion to foreign visitors, North Korea does have several functional hotels in Pyongyang. Until the Ryugyong Hotel is completed, the Yanggakdo International Hotel is the city's largest, and the Ryanggang Hotel is widely regarded as the fanciest. Its pyramid shape dominates the Pyongyang skyline from miles away. Each of the building's three sections, which join together at the top, are 100 meters, or 328 feet long, Atlas Obscura reported. At the very top of the building, an eight-story cone-shaped section was supposed to feature revolving restaurants. It remains empty, like the rest of the hotel. More external work began on the hotel in 2008 with the installation of glass panels over its entire surface. An Egyptian contractor, the Orascom group, took over the project and revived construction in 2008, Reuters reported. It would cost an estimated $2 billion to finally finish the Ryugyong Hotel, Reuters reported in 2008, citing South Korean media. North Korea's gross domestic product is around $40 billion, according to the CIA World Factbook 's 2015 estimate. That makes the cost of finishing the building around 5% of the country's entire GDP. In the meantime, North Korea has found other uses for the building. It serves as a dramatic backdrop for performances by art troupes. The troupes' performances usually contain propaganda messages. North Korea sent an art troupe to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. It also provides a backdrop for propaganda messages made up of over 100,000 LED screens. In 2018, lighting designer Kim Yong Il created a light show comprised of political slogans and party symbols. It played on the building's surface for several hours every night. In 2023, banners in front of the hotel marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. The building itself still lacks electricity, and there's no expected completion date, but there have been new signs of construction progress. Alek Sigley, an Australian student who was studying for his master's degree in Korean literature at Kim Il Sung University, posted on X about new signage above the main entrance of the hotel in June 2019. A month later, Sigley was detained for a week and subsequently released after North Korean authorities accused him of committing "spying acts" against the state. He was later expelled from the country. North Korean authorities are reportedly hoping to find a foreign investor to build a casino in the empty space. Radio Free Asia reported in July 2024 that North Korean leadership is seeking a foreign investor to purchase gambling rights and operate a casino at the Ryugyong Hotel as part of a deal to finish the rest of its interior. Authorities hope to replicate the success and profitability of the casino at Pyongyang's Yanggakdo International Hotel, which has proven popular with tourists, the outlet reported, citing an anonymous North Korean source. It continues to live up to its nickname, "Hotel of Doom."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Corn Showing Weakness at Midday
Corn futures are trading with September up ¾ cents, as other contracts 1 to 2 cents in the red. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price is up ½ cent at $3.57. This morning's Export Sales report showed net reductions of 88,686 MT for old crop corn, below expectations of between 150,000 and 600,000 MT during the week of 8/7. That was a MY low, but is normal as we are in the last month of the marketing year. New crop was on the high side of the 0.9 to 2.4 MMT trade ideas at 2.04 MMT. That was the second largest total for the marketing year and takes the total to 13.825 MMT, which is the second largest on record for this week. More News from Barchart Coffee Prices Rally on Light Frost in Brazil and Drop in Brazilian Robusta Exports Coffee Prices Rally on Light Frost in Brazil How Bullish Are US Soybeans? Our exclusive Barchart Brief newsletter is your FREE midday guide to what's moving stocks, sectors, and investor sentiment - delivered right when you need the info most. Subscribe today! CONAB estimates the Brazilian corn crop at 137 MMT, which was a jump if 5.03 MMT from last month. That mainly came via a 5.02 MMT increase to the second crop at 109.56. A South Korean importer purchased 65,000 MT of corn overnight with the origin still to be determined. The Rosario Grains Exchange estimates the Argentina corn area in the main regions up 15 to 20% for 2025/26. Sep 25 Corn is at $3.74 3/4, up 3/4 cent, Nearby Cash is at $3.57, up 1/2 cent, Dec 25 Corn is at $3.96 1/4, down 1 cent, Mar 26 Corn is at $4.13, down 2 cents, New Crop Cash is at $3.54 3/4, up 1/2 cent, On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
