starving. i m carlton mccoy, raised in inner city d.c., educated in kitchens around the globe. these days i make a living as a master sommelier. i m a nomad, driving to move in and out of different cultures, different worlds. i celebrate diversity by embracing what makes us both unique and the same. after all, we carry our travels with us to our next destination. that s what life is all about. let s do this. south korea. like most people, i m starting out in seoul, an international mega city located near the center of the korean peninsula. it is the beating heart that drives the korean economy and churns out record-breaking pop culture exports, squid game, parasite and bts, the biggest band on earth. this place is fast paced and runs around the clock. what about the rest of the country? is it super traditional, modern or both? after today i m headed further into the country side. i want to learn about the people, the drinking culture and, most importantly, the food.
legit. you have to start somewhere. you have to start somewhere. yeah. talk to me about being a young korean-american, being raised with the experience of american culture and trying to tran translate through a korean awe lens. i was like, i m from korean and they were like, where is that. being an asian male, you are not supposed to be good at sports and you re definitely not to supposed to rap. i come to korea and they look down on me for not knowing korean culture and not speaking korean. everywhere you go you have an identity culture. now everything is so sensitive. why do you try to be black. yeah, yeah. you know, i m not trying to be anything. i owe everything to hip-hop, and so everything i do, all of these success, people even caring what i say, it is all because of hip-hop. it is not just music to me. hip-hop generates an insider culture. exactly.