Far away from a customer base in the United States that knows the delights and agonies of late-night taco dining, paid for entirely with pocket change, Taco Bell seeks a higher level of trendiness in South Korea. The new store’s menu appears on an LED board. Wall hangings display a succession of culinary mood words: sizzle, steam, smash….

It remains to be seen whether Taco Bell will prosper here, or elsewhere in Asia, over the long term. Since Taco Bell last existed here 15 years ago, little has fundamentally changed in the way people eat. What’s different is how they decide where to eat. In the world’s most wired country, two of every five people, according to some estimates, maintain a blog. One of South Korea’s preeminent search engines, Naver, has a special category for “powerbloggers,” many of whom love writing about food. Taco Bell has held special events for these bloggers, hoping to win their approval.

– Chico Harlan, Washington Post.

Taco Bell pilgrimage, anyone?

I’m a little put off to hear that Taco Bell sees the need to hold special events for the so-called “powerbloggers” of Seoul while I’m here doing all this stuff to promote their brand and they do nothing for me. Where’s my special event? Where’s my three-story Taco Bell with fancy LED menus and food-mood buzzwords plastered all over the walls? I’m stuck with the Worst Taco Bell in the World in Elmsford, N.Y., where I sometimes wait 18-minutes at the drive-thru and never, EVER get a red shell on my Volcano Taco.

But, all that said, here’s to Taco Bell’s success overseas. This is obviously a big step toward winning the Franchise Wars.

Also, Chico Harlan sighting.