It is a sign of our modern, interconnected times that the Macao Government Tourism Office has named British YouTubers Joshua Carrott and Oliver Kendal \u2013 usually known simply as Josh and Ollie \u2013 as keynote speakers for this year\u2019s International Cities of Gastronomy Fest. The duo, better known for their YouTube channel Korean Englishman, rose to prominence by offering a fresh lens on the Korean Wave. While most online audiences rode the Hallyu wave via K-pop and dramas, Carrott and Kendal were among the first to focus on sharing Korean culture through its most universal language: food.<\/p>\n
\u201cFood is just one of the easiest ways to introduce culture to someone,\u201d Kendal explained in a 2019 interview with the Korea Times. \u201cIf you eat the same food, even if you can\u2019t speak the same language, you\u2019re speaking the language of food. Put a plate of great food in their hands, and they immediately grasp a small but essential part of that culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Oliver](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/03\/20\/b946b825-e1f4-45b1-821f-ba2d5f69f1cc_23baafe7.jpg\" "\\"Oliver")
<\/div>Fans trace much of Korean Englishman\u2019s fame to a 2014 viral video in which Carrott and Kendal filmed friends \u2013 along with Carrott\u2019s father \u2013 trying Buldak spicy ramen on camera. Reflecting on the appeal of such food challenges, Carrott told musician Eric Nam on a podcast, \u201cThere are so many good Korean foods we could give them to try. We\u2019re so good at giving food to people we know \u2013 why don\u2019t we do it for people we don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Joshua](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/03\/20\/8a9aa3fb-adf6-4f21-8efc-92b0315eb0a6_23baafe7.jpg\" "\\"Joshua")
<\/div>This philosophy underpins their content. Their videos frequently feature British schoolchildren, London cab drivers and celebrities like David Beckham, John Cena and Arnold Schwarzenegger sampling Korean classics such as samgyeopsal<\/em>, hanwoo beef sets and tteokbokki<\/em>. More ambitious projects have seen them feed Korean food to British soldiers, then flip the concept by challenging British boys to survive a Korean boot camp. The duo\u2019s mission to bridge cultures reached a milestone in 2023, when they attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, met King Charles and were seated next to Jennie, Jisoo and Ros\u00e9 of Blackpink.<\/p>\n While their work is rooted in the UK and South Korea, it has also taken them further afield. This year\u2019s International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, in fact, marks their second engagement with Macau. In October 2023, the duo released a five-part series visiting the city, sampling its culinary highlights. They dined at Chef Tam\u2019s Seasons, explored local variations of the egg tart, and traced the dishes that established Macanese food as arguably the world\u2019s first fusion cuisine.<\/p>\n For the Korean Englishman duo, then, a return to Macau feels less like a simple visit and more like a continuation of their life\u2019s work. In October 2023, they came to sample the city\u2019s fusion fare and share it with their audience. This year, they return as keynote speakers \u2013 a fitting evolution for two men who have built a career on bridging cultures through food.<\/p>\n And in Macau, a place where Portuguese and Chinese influences have simmered together for centuries, they find a city that does exactly what they do: it introduces one culture to another, one dish at a time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Blackpink](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/03\/20\/c86fcd91-2942-40b8-8bce-e38e012eba82_60beabfa.jpg\" "\\"Blackpink")
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