Feeding your oppar/unnir featured in the Wall Street Journal

[shikinluv.livejournal.com]

Seoul Food: Treating Your Idol to Lunch Is the True Test of Fandom
For a Contribution of Just $135, You Can Feed a Korean Pop Star


By JAEYEON WOO

SEOUL—Fans of pop stars send their idols all sorts of crazy stuff. In South Korea, the true measure of a fan's devotion is sending lunch to the stars.

On a recent Saturday here in Seoul, members of A Pink, a seven-member girl group, worked their way through beautifully crafted lunch boxes featuring egg salad with tomatoes, basil and toasted breadcrumbs, rice wrapped in seasoned lettuce, and beef-and-vegetable-skewers, all paid for by a fan.

"We enjoyed it so much and we were so moved by all the efforts that must've been put into these lunches," said Jung Eun-ji, a 17-year-old member of the group, one of the newest on the Korean pop scene. "There were even our pictures decorated on the outside of the lunch boxes."



The trend, which has spawned a little industry of specialist lunch providers, reflects the desire of many South Korean fans to nourish their idols rather than just shower them with gifts they probably don't want.

"Eat rice, cheer up and be strong, that's the message I am sending them," said Chung Kyung-young, the 38-year-old male fan who ordered lunch for A Pink.

Mr. Chung, who has also bought two newspaper ads here to show his support for the group, says the lunch gifts were special. "I am so proud. It feels like giving nice gifts to your beloved nieces," said Mr. Chung, who is the father of a nine-year-old boy.

The trend of sending lunch to famous people who can afford their own started a few years ago when fans picked up on performers' complaints about being too busy to eat properly. In the last year or so it has taken off.

Kim Su-ji runs Suji Kim's Dosirak Art in Seoul, one of the leading "star lunch" suppliers. Ms. Kim has supplied made-to-order lunches for most of the top names in Korean pop. Dosirak means lunch box in Korean; the meals are similar to Japanese bento boxes. Dosirak Art is known for its elaborately decorated lunch boxes featuring laces, beads and hand-drawn pictures of the stars.

Ms. Kim started her business in 2010, when she saw a niche market for a catering service. Last year she experienced a surge in orders as the reputation of her lunches spread. She now makes four or five lunch boxes per week.

Ms. Kim sticks to specific guidelines when making lunches: Food should be low-fat because most of the recipients are weight-conscious pop stars, and it should taste good even when served cold. She also varies her charges to reduce the burden on younger fans. Her lunch boxes are typically priced from 70,000 won to 150,000 won ($62-$135).

Hwang Sun-young, a 22-year-old facial therapist, said she and other fans chipped in to buy lunch for Super Junior, a 13-member boy group, on two occasions. She recalls shopping for pizza and salad at a mall for the band in 2009 because there was no "star lunch" specialist around at the time.

Wang Jipong, a 24-year-old university student from China, says she noticed the trend when she arrived in Korea to study. She told her friends in China and together they paid for lunch for five-member boy band Big Bang, as well as the band's managers and support staff.

LUNCH FOR A PINK

"I've seen most Korean fans showing their support by sending lunches, and we wanted the group to know that they are also loved by many Chinese fans," she said. "We don't want to burden them with useless gifts like stuffed animals. Since holding a concert is physically challenging, lunch makes a great gift."

Most fans don't expect anything in return. They often tag along during the delivery—usually to a music studio or TV station—but stay out of the way of the performers.

That doesn't mean stars aren't responsive. They often post their pictures and a thank-you note on Twitter, Me2day, a Korean microblogging site, or online fan forums.

Ms. Kim, the lunch box maker, traces the phenomenon of fans sending lunches back to the tradition of sending food gifts and the long-held belief in Korea that rice is a source of strength. "A bowl of rice is equivalent to love and affection in Korea," she said.

The most memorable lunch boxes for her, she said, were for Girls' Generation, one of the most popular Korean girl groups. They were ordered two months in advance. "They were expecting something more special than just another star lunch," she said. Ms. Kim designed nine lunch boxes to reflect the character of the nine members of the group. The top of each box was adorned with a brooch featuring the member's picture.

Following a high-profile incident in 2006, when a supposed fan sent a poisoned drink to U-Know, the leader of TVXQ (or Dong Bang Shin Ki as it is known in Korea), guidelines have been imposed.

Applicants are usually asked to fill out an online order form, including the proposed menu, delivery date and the name of a catering service, which is sent to the management agency of the artists for review and approval.

Chung Il-hwa, the PR manager of A Pink, said the filter system ensures food safety.

Ms. Jung from A Pink said she isn't worried. "I believe fans would care about us as much as we do care about them," though she admitted her mom used to get anxious about such presents.

"Look, I am just fine," she said cheerfully.

Source: Wall Street Journal

I always wondered where and who made these since Beast's lunch boxes are amazing and look so yummy. Also, my babies on WSJ! There is a video at the source but I couldn't figure out how to embed it.

Comments

[metafictionally]

My dad told me about this article this morning by leaving me a note that says "the Koreans you like are in the newspaper" :|

I'm glad they have guidelines for the food. I was wondering about that, like how they make sure stuff isn't poisoned.

[unlickdbearwhlp.livejournal.com]

My mom/aunt think I like every Korean/Asian, so anytime one shows up anywhere (American Idol, most recently), they tell me. I keep telling them it's not that deep.

Your dad knows exactly who you like, though? That's sweet, no? :)

[metafictionally]

Haha oh no he has no idea! He just saw "Korean girl group" and figured I probably liked them. In this case it happened to be true, but it was mostly luck on his part XD

[lonelymoon.livejournal.com]

Aww, that's still cute of him, hehe

[jaded-skys.livejournal.com]

That's what my aunt thinks too. She's always OH I HEARD ABOUT SOMETHING ASIAN, AND I THOUGHT YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW! Or tells all her friends I know everything about anything Asian. >.< I really, really don't.

[unlickdbearwhlp.livejournal.com]

ヽ(‘ ∇‘ )ノ You know my pain! I stop them mid-sentence now, if the word "Asian" comes up. It's just embarrassing, because I know they're judging me, as obsessed with something that I'm so not. I'm not going to auto-like someone because they're Korean, which is what they seem to think. That would be lame as hell. :P

I mean, I guess it's nice that they think of us- that they pay attention! I'm so self-conscious tho, and maybe I'm over-thinking it. ;)

[jaded-skys.livejournal.com]

EXCATLY! It's not like I enjoy every aspect of every little thing that comes out of Korea because I don't with ANY country! My parents thankfully just wait until I say I like something before they comment on things.

I can't with my aunt, because my aunt lives REAL far away so she says stuff to people she knows... then tells me. See, I kinda know my shit with Korea (as I currenly live here and do speak Korean), but then she'll tell me something like "OH I TOLD MY FRIEND YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT (another Asian country)'S (somethingI have no idea about), AND CAN'T WAIT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT!" and I have no idea how she thought I'd know anything about it. It's like she's trying to raise my Asian cred or something. She also keeps trying to set me up with the Asian guys she does meet... despite me living half-way around the world. IDEK.

[yolleh.livejournal.com]

My mum does the exact same thing and I think it' sweet she's trying to be involved in my interests.
Especially since for the most part people think it's really weird I like Korea/Japan so much (idek why) and she usually ends up sticking up for me even if she doesn't fully understand it herself.

[unlickdbearwhlp.livejournal.com]

It is sweet that your mom shows an interest. In my case, though, they've got me wrong (which means they're not paying attention *whine*). I'm not half as interested in Koreans as they think I am. ;)

Do you study Korean and/or Japanese culture? I'm not actually interested S. Korea, outside of its pop culture (and even then, not so much). If I had to focus on a culture, it's be central Asian. Steppes and deserts and leftover soviet nonsense. (▰˘◡˘▰)

[uptown-side.livejournal.com]

I love it when dads do stuff like that. A few months ago my dad got a Roku box for our TV so you can watch Hulu plus, netflix, amazon, and other specific channels on it. There was a Kdrama channel and he added it for me.

It's the little things, tbh.

[uniqlos.livejournal.com]

you guys have nicer dads than i do lol when i was younger he used to troll me by waking me up in the morning and telling me that my favorite westlife member was dead smh.

[cultic.livejournal.com]

omg i laughed so hard at this, but i would've thrown the biggest tantrum as a kid if someone did this to me with my favorite BSB member. especially b/c i loved the one with a heart defect

[izon-no-niwa.livejournal.com]

lol i think my father has more creative ways of waking me up than my mother tbh
tho he always just tells me about food to wake me up

[evilsquidx.livejournal.com]

LOL. The thought of my dad rushing in to tell me that Shane was dead would have killed me, especially so early in the morning ;~;

[uniqlos.livejournal.com]

yep. except for me it was bryan lol irl.

[babydollnana.livejournal.com]

omg I laughed so hard at this

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting this. I've always wondered who prepares the food since they're all decorated with the band's name/picture and the food orders are really specific, which I don't think a normal catering company would do. And not to mention the safety of the idols. Good to know they're really strict about it. Companies must save a lot of money feeding their stars thanks to the fans.

[xfactorglory.livejournal.com]

excited because my oppars were in the wall street journal, sad that it was about yunho's poisoning.

and this definitely cleared up some of my questions regarding the lunches. I always thought fans cooked them but couldn't figure out how they organized the cooking and kept the food safe.

[sai12.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I had always thought that fans worked together to make the boxes themselves. But this is better because then yeah...safety guidelines can be kept more closely.

[erbalurbal.livejournal.com]

Those lunches always look so yummy.

[vvvanilla.livejournal.com]

We just ordered food for Big Bang for Big Show and I can't wait to see how it turns out. /Yeah, I'm one of those fans *hides*

[untilsally.livejournal.com]

Huh. I always wondered about how the lunches were organised too. Although, I'm pretty sure I'd still be totally paranoid like that mom.
Thanks for sharing : )

[miki-831.livejournal.com]

If someone gave me a fancy/cute lunch box like that I would be super happy

[bishieaddict.livejournal.com]

I remember Yunho's case. Scared me. He was way too lenient on his haters, but I gained respect for him.
Lunches were popular before...I remember this from the days when I was a huge Lee Junki fan (some of his lunches were so amazing, the food were pics of him). I could not believe that when the fans give them food, and the stars would eat it. I'm glad that they use more trustworthy sources now instead of handmade lunches because as nice as it seems, you don't really know what you're getting. Anyone can pose as a fan.

[hpn88.livejournal.com]

pretty lunch boxes explained
also I want this articles authors job - she gets to write about Kpop lunch boxes for WSJ. sign me up

[bebita19.livejournal.com]

Lol, agreed.

[spacesuitmonkey.livejournal.com]

Your icon is too cute! Where's it from?

[modestgoddess79.livejournal.com]

these are a great idea, much safer than the old method

[cast-no-shadow0.livejournal.com]

Finally a well-written and insightful article about k-pop! The same old "kpop is taking over the world" articles are getting kind of old, it was interesting to read how this is organized.

I remember seeing all the food in Beast's fridge on one of there shows and I know Kikwang has mentioned that a fan gave him an entire chicken and I kept thinking "is that safe?!" but this explains how they have some controls.

[streetliights.livejournal.com]

haha, I remember that! But the fan gave it to him at a fansign event and it wasn't through a catering company or anything. She just came up to him, handed the stuff she wanted him to sign, and as he was signing her stuff, she brought out a roasted chicken and handed it to him as she was leaving. He told the story because he thought it was weird and apparently she's done it more than once lol

[cast-no-shadow0.livejournal.com]

haha, OK, that's what I thought too but I couldn't remember, so I guess it didn't go by these rules. :D

[deerlike.livejournal.com]

apparently she's done it more than once lol

lmao, I love that. She's probably known as the "chicken girl" to them.

[audiograms.livejournal.com]

probably I used to always bake cupcakes for my favourite bands and I became known as cupcake lmao.

[luvey.livejournal.com]

interesting article. i've heard about these little companies popping up to supply the foods for these fan gifts before, it's just nice to read a full article. what impressed me is the leaps fans have to go through to get it approved by the company and to go through certain companies. i'm happy such regulations are there to keep them safe.

[cagallisakura.livejournal.com]

There's a business for everything nowadays. The fan supports for SNSD always blow me away. The stuff looks like it totals over a thousand something dollars. But those are the types of fans idols can be proud of.

[shikinluv.livejournal.com]

Ikr. And for me, even a standard dosirak that they commission to make for any other group is super expensive. $60 is like a meal at a restaurant for four :O

[valieleen.livejournal.com]

And in Korea, $60 are enough to pay for a simple lunch for approx. 10 people.. It's kind of ridiculous.

[lysblack.livejournal.com]

not only soshi fans tbh, if you look at any group members birthday packages and stuff they often get expensive brand names things, however the more popular you have, more fans you have, the more expensive things get.

[deerlike.livejournal.com]

I get that uncle-fans are a part of kpop, but... 38? Really? I hope I don't fangirl any pop star half my age when I'm 38.

[bornclassie.livejournal.com]

sigh, thought that was cake/came for the cake. /disappoint.

[surisays.livejournal.com]

$62-$135 each??? that's a lot, especially if you're paying for it yourself or there's a lot of group members.

[valieleen.livejournal.com]

I wonder how often the really popular groups receive meals from their fans? I have to say though, I think giving food is a lot sweeter than giving electronics, brand clothes etc.. I really love it when my friends give me food or share theirs with me. :)
Rice/Charity donations are still my favourite fan gifts though.

[anconeous.livejournal.com]

It's nice that Yunho's infamous glue incident has prompted stricter guidelines from entertainment companies. No one should ever go through that ever again.

And because of these lunches, bottomless pits like Changmin and Sooyoung are forever grateful. :)

[caramelorchoco.livejournal.com]

add kyu bb to that list. boy always tweet about food lol

[shiddex.livejournal.com]

yeah some of the pics of nice food packs/gifts i saved. i've always thought fans would camp at each other's house and cook and prepare em together hahahaha. good to know!

[sohnyong.livejournal.com]

eunji my queen, pleasant as usual ;u;

[izabera.livejournal.com]

It's nice that fans often include lunch boxes for the staff too.

I feel a bit uncomfortable about young fans spending their money on this, I guess it's OK for auntie and uncle fans who can afford it.

[weerainbow.livejournal.com]

Wow those are some expensive lunch boxes!
I'm glad there are procedures in place to protect those receiving food gifts these days though :o)