Food creators in South Korea

What do food creators get in Korea?

Food creators get some of the most filmable eating in Asia: dishes cooked in front of you, shared tables, loud markets and a menu that changes with the seasons. Hosted days are planned around markets and evenings, with a local guide where agreed, so you know which stalls to sit at and what you are eating.

Where do food creators go?

• Seoul markets: Gwangjang for bindaetteok, mayak gimbap and yukhoe; Mangwon for an everyday local market; Tongin's lunchbox system; Noryangjin for seafood.
• Seoul evenings: Korean barbecue, late-night pojangmacha-style tents and Euljiro's old bars.
• Busan: Jagalchi fish market, dwaeji gukbap, milmyeon cold noodles and fish cakes.
• Jeju: black pork, abalone porridge and seafood from the haenyeo divers' catch.
• Gyeongju: ssambap, rice with a spread of leaves and sides to wrap it in, and the town's red-bean pastries.

Which destinations suit food content?

Seoul is the base, with the widest range of markets and restaurants. Busan is the strongest second stop, with a seafood culture of its own. Jeju suits longer trips with an island-food angle.

Which content angles work?

• One dish, one story: why bindaetteok is fried in so much oil, or how dwaeji gukbap became Busan's dish.
• Seasons: cold noodles in summer, kimchi-making in late autumn, hot street snacks such as hotteok and bungeoppang in winter.
• How to order: table bells, free side dishes and refills, and the order of a barbecue meal, which audiences like to learn before they go.
• Drinking culture: soju, makgeolli and the etiquette of pouring for others.
• Market to table: following one ingredient from a fish-market counter to a restaurant.

When is the best time for food content?

Any season works for food content in Korea, because the menu changes with the weather: autumn and winter suit market steam, hot soups and street snacks, while summer brings cold noodles and riverside picnics. Avoid planning market days on major holidays such as Seollal and Chuseok, when many stalls close.

What should I know before filming food in Korea?

• Tell us about allergies and diets early. Seafood, pork, wheat and fermented fish sauces are in many dishes, and vegetarian options can be limited outside temple food.
• Ask vendors before filming them close up, and buy from the stalls you feature.
• Some barbecue and stew restaurants only serve orders for two or more people.
• Markets are tight and busy. Keep kit small and film seated where you can.
• Do not make health claims about food, and check any prices you quote.

Meals are included only where your itinerary says so. See the programme for what each tier covers, then apply with the dishes or markets you most want to film.