Today I had the honor of attending a very special luncheon hosted by the first lady of South Korea, Mrs. Kim Yoon-Ok. The luncheon was to promote the globalization of Korean food, commemorate the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Korean War and honor the American and Korean veterans from the tri-state area who served in the war. The luncheon was also attended by celebrities such as Master Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and movie star Moon Youngblood. Moon’s biggest role to date was in Terminator 4. The lunch was a beautiful display of Korean and American partnership as well as Korean food. The afternoon began with a colorful spread of Korean appetizers, including all the kimchi you can imagine and handmade goodies made from rice. I had the pleasure of chatting with Moon, who was appointed as an ambassador for the Korean Tourism Organization promoting American travel to Korea. She was charming and engaging and very knowledgeable about Korean food, as she herself is half Korean. The afternoon also allowed for photo opportunities with the veterans and the first lady and then a special cooking demonstration by the first lady. The whole audience was able to taste more Korean delicacies, and the first lady served the veterans herself! A full buffet lunch followed, where we were able to sample traditional Korean soups, noodle dishes, vegetable dishes and meat dishes. All were well liked, and without a doubt the crowd favorites were the Korean meats, including bulgolgi and kalbi. It was a wonderful honor to be in the presence of  a first lady, and I walked away even happier to be in the presence of the hardworking soldiers and veterans of the Korean War. About 80 were in attendance and were looking great. The veterans were also given the opportunity to address the first lady, and all were thankful Mrs. Kim was able to attend such a beautiful event. They were proud to have served in an effort that has allowed South Korea to evolve into one of the growing economic and gastronomic powerhouses we have in the world today. –Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher