Posts Tagged ‘Seoul International Park’

Maeil Company at 2009 Koreatown Festival

Saturday, September 19th, 2009

Maeil was one of the more active companies proselytizing their brand during the 2009 Korean Festival in Los Angeles. It’s in stark contrast to McDonald’s who had the budget to plaster their signs all over the place but did not have a single representative present to staff a table or hand out samples.

Maeil Company Table at 2009 Koreatown Festival

It wasn’t just one table with young women proactively handing out cupfuls of Maeil yogurt drinks… they had several mascots roaming the grounds… and they had a really foxy Korean lady handling a game where you could turn a wheel to win a prize. Lots of people were lining up.

Maeil Company Mascots at 2009 Koreatown Festival

The mascots! I am very familiar with their Caffe Late line, but not with Enyo (엔요), a new product. Didn’t have time yesterday to pick up a sample or ask about it but it seems to be an organic yogurt drink for very young children. I’ll investigate today and post details later.

Warnings at 2009 Korean Festival in Los Angeles

Saturday, September 19th, 2009

Ah, two items close to my heart. No smoking and being photographed…

장터내 모든곳에서는 금연입니다.

Warnings at 2009 Korean Festival in LA

본인의 동의 없이… 사진이 촬영 게재…

By attending the Korean Festival, you consent to being photographed, filmed and recorded as members of the Korean Festival audience and consent to the use of any such film, image or recording at the discretion of the Korean Festival.

Someone should have told the lady selling the chaltteok gwaja. I had posted about CW’s chaltteok cookie, and this woman was at the festival selling something similar, so I was really interested. I started taking photos with my iPhone and was about to pick up a sample so I’d have something new to report on this blog. Well, I don’t know what her problem was… she started complaining about my taking pictures and wouldn’t offer me a sample, which she had been handing out to attendees. Other companies who pay thousands of dollars to have a table at these fairs rush to give out samples because that’s part of marketing their business. She must be in violation of some trademark or patent… CW did patent their technology…

And of course, I am so glad that “Smoking is prohibited in the entire Festival Area. Prohibido fumar en esta area.”

Don’t forget to check out the schedule for the remaining days of the 2009 Korean Festival in Los Angeles.

Korean Food at 2009 Koreatown Festival in LA

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Now these are real Korean food favorites. The English translation absolutely fails to convey the deliciousness of these treats.

Korean Food Favorites at 2009 Koreatown Festival

오뎅 o-deng, fish cake in soup
김밥 ddeokbeokki, hot pasted (?) rice cake
떡볶이 kimbap, sushi Korean-style
순대 soondae, blood sausage
녹두빈대떡 nokdoo bindaeddeok, mung-bean pancakes

Didn’t ask, but I think Choweon (Evergreen) is a church… Thought I also saw other churches selling stuff at the festival grounds.

You can get your fill of more Korean food at the Koreatown Festival this weekend. Maybe the Bool BBQ Taco Truck will still be there!

2009 Koreatown Festival in Los Angeles – Dancers

Friday, September 18th, 2009

The ajumma (married Korean women) were very well-coordinated and really good in their dance performance. I don’t know why I felt like bursting out in laughter.

This was September 18 (Friday), the second day of the 2009 Korean Festival at Seoul International Park in LA. The schedule bills this performance as “Line Dance.” An hour later, Berendo Middle School students performed more traditional Korean music with drums.

I was there mid-afternoon with time to just make one round of the grounds and look for the schedule of this weekend’s festival events. Lots and lots of booths. Lining the perimeter outside were tables staffed by representatives from the different provinces of South Korea as well as Hite, Budweiser and Bool BBQ.

Don’t know if you spotted them in the video, but the mascots from the Maeil Company were roaming the grounds. Must have been hot in those suits. Caffe Latte had limbs!

Other notables: McDonalds a major sponsor. Hawaiian Chicken was roasting about two dozen whole chickens on an open spit all at once. The FBI and DEA had tables… There were what seemed to be South Korean military recruiters in uniform.

The given schedule shows the same roster for Saturday and Sunday.
12:00-3:30 Seniors’ Entertainment Variety Show
3:30-4:00 Hip Hop
4:00-4:30 Kimi Jazz Band
4:30-5:00 Performance by Jean Ballet School
5:00-6:30 Youth Talent Show
6:30-8:00 Singing Contest
8:00-9:30 Gag Show (Funny concert with Seo Weon-seob and Na Deok)
9:30-10:00 Raffle Drawing

*The 36th Los Angeles Korean Parade at 3 PM along Olympic Boulevard on Saturday afternoon.

Bool BBQ Taco Truck at Koreatown Festival

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Bool BBQ now has two roving taco trucks and I spotted their Bool Ship 1 parked at the Seoul International Park in Koreatown during the 2009 Korean Festival.

Bool Taco Truck at 2009 Korean Festival

Menu was something like this:

Korean BBQ Tacos al Carbon $1.99 (Beef/Chicken/Pork)
Korean BBQ Burrito al Carbon $4.99
Kimchi Quesadilla al Carbon $3.99
Pastels (Brazilian dish) $2.99
BoolBowl $4.99

Dessert (apple caramel, banana chocolate) $2.99
Can of Soda $1.25. Water $1.25

Berendo Middle School Korean Troupe

Friday, September 18th, 2009

I was leaving Seoul International Park after having scrounged a copy of the events schedule of this year’s Korean Festival in LA when I saw these kids coming out of their school bus.

Berendo Middle School Korean Troupe

Traditional Korean costumes are so colorful, aren’t they? And the students were carrying traditional Korean instruments like the sizable drums you see in the picture. Turns out they were scheduled to perform at 5:30 pm. Too bad I had to miss the performance.

Berendo Middle School is located just a few blocks southeast of the park (Ardmore / Seoul International) where the festival is being held. Address: 1157 S Berendo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90006-3301

Los Angeles Korean Festival – September 2009

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Finally made it to the Seoul International Park for the second day of the Korean Festival in Los Angeles. There are a lot of booths selling everything from traditional Korean food and ginseng to high-tech kitchen appliances. Took some legwork but I was able to track down a copy of the events schedule. (I dare you to try it yourself. Good luck if you don’t speak Korean. Harrumph.)

36th Los Angeles Korean Festival

FRIDAY (September 18, 2009)

3:00-3:30 Traditional Korean Band
3:30-4:00 Happy Band
4:00-4:30 Line Dance
5:00-5:30 Martial Arts Demonstration
5:30-6:00 Berendo Middle School (Traditional Korean Musical Performance)
6:00-6:30 Multi-Ethnic Line Dance
6:30-7:00 Korean Dance
7:30-8:00 UCLA Group Jazz Dance
8:00-9:50 Joong Ang Singing Contest
9:50-10:00 Raffle Drawing

SATURDAY (September 19, 2009)
12:00-3:30 Seniors’ Entertainment Variety Show
3:30-4:00 Hip Hop
4:00-4:30 Kimi Jazz Band
4:30-5:00 Performance by Jean Ballet School
5:00-6:30 Youth Talent Show
6:30-8:00 Singing Contest
8:00-9:30 Gag Show (Funny concert with Seo Weon-seob and Na Deok)
9:30-10:00 Raffle Drawing

SUNDAY (September 20, 2009)
12:00-3:30 Seniors’ Entertainment Variety Show
3:30-4:00 Hip Hop
4:00-4:30 Kimi Jazz Band
4:30-5:00 Performance by Jean Ballet School
5:00-6:30 Youth Talent Show
6:30-8:00 Singing Contest
8:00-9:30 Gag Show (Funny concert with Seo Weon-seob and Na Deok)
9:30-10:00 Raffle Drawing

Just noticed that the schedule for both Saturday and Sunday is the same. Don’t know if that’s on purpose.

*Night of Korean Music on September 18 (Friday) at Zipper Hall, located inside the Colburn School in Downtown Los Angeles at 200 South Grand Avenue, next to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA).

*The 36th Los Angeles Korean Parade will be at 3 PM along Olympic Boulevard on Saturday. No one’s sure where it’s going to start but it will likely be near the Seoul International Park (Ardmore) in front of Shinhan Bank at 3000 W Olympic Blvd.