Fried chicken has long been a favorite of consumers in South Korea — and now it also underscores the country's inflationary woes, with food prices across the board weighing more on wallets lately.
That's why he joined a huge throng of shoppers clamoring for cheap fried chicken one August morning at Homeplus, a hypermarket chain that had just slashed 12 percent off its already-heavily discounted prices.
"There were already over 50 people lined up," Park told the reporter, adding that many arrived early and waited well over an hour. "We all ran together to the deli as soon as it opened. That's when I felt the craze of fried chicken."
People around the world have been dealing with similar struggles in recent months as global food prices soared — and scenes like the chicken run at Homeplus are a reminder of how households are adjusting to broader inflation, which has hit 5.7 percent in South Korea.
和英国的炸鱼薯条(fish and chips)一样，韩式炸鸡是韩国的一个重要文化标志。此前，许多人把炸鸡当作休闲娱乐的必备小食，这是一道大众菜。而现如今，两种食品都在物价飙升的大环境下变得愈发昂贵。
"All costs related to fried chicken are rising very fast," said Jeong Woo Park, the Nomura economist, adding that vendors are being hit by soaring costs of oil, rent, labor, delivery services and even chicken feed. In response, he added, some restaurants have started using robots to bring labor costs down.
