ABSTRACT
This study examines the culinary entrepreneurship of Korean American ‘returnees’ in Seoul’s food and beverage industry, paying special attention to the identitarian and meaning-making impetuses and consequences that emerge in the production of Asian American food in Seoul. Utilizing in-depth interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, this study finds that ‘returnees’ emphasize their ‘cosmopolitan Koreanness’ in marketing their ventures and products and in explaining the relative success of Korean American entrepreneurs in Seoul. We conclude by exploring how the culinary entrepreneurship of Korean American ‘returnees’ in South Korea both add to and complicate contemporary understandings of Asian American identity, entrepreneurship, and foodways.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).