From Strange Bitter Concoction to Romantic Necessity: The Social History of Coffee Drinking in South Korea

This paper explores the notions of Korean, American, and global identities as shared among Koreans by examining coffee drinking practices and the meanings associated with them. Based on field studies including participant observation, in-depth interviews, and literature analysis, the research shows that coffee drinking is a useful window for viewing the diverse dimensions of contemporary Korean society, and produces and represents various identities of Koreans in the global world. As shown in the case of the Starbucks espresso chain, which is the main focus of this research, the expansion of multinational business as part of the globalization process and the global business’ interaction with indigenous cultures clearly show us the “universalization of particularism” and “particularization of universalism,” respectively, in the border-crossing of food cultures. Furthermore, Korean consumption of Starbucks coffee is not only a simple or passive adoption of American consumption products but an active process of selecting and creating their own modes of consumption, and participating in constructing a “global modernity” that transcends the borders between cultures. But the “globality” that is put together and constructed in an American way, as is the case with Starbucks, is already quite familiar and powerful for many Koreans.

keywords: coffee, consumption, identity, South Korea, globalization, Starbucks, coffee, consumption, identity, South Korea, globalization, Starbucks

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Article Contents

Vol.45 No.2

From Strange Bitter Concoction to Romantic Necessity: The Social History of Coffee Drinking in South Korea

Abstract

Reference

Korea Journal