by Lisa Hetterling

Crack, snap, and crunch. A chef knife loudly cuts through a green head of Napa cabbage without hesitation. Viewers are thrown straight into the action; this is how many of Logan’s TikTok videos start. On a platform where creators have mere seconds to capture the viewers’ attention, this startling tactic has proven to be an effective signature. For anyone like me, who has ever looked for Korean food inspiration in English, encountering one of Logan’s videos seems almost inevitable. Logan Moffitt, known as @logagm on TikTok, @logansfewd on Instagram, and @logaagm on YouTube, has amassed over ten million followers across platforms. With his obsession for cucumbers and many viral recipes to match, he has earned quirky nicknames like “the most hydrated person on TikTok” and “the cucumber guy” (Chesanek 2024; Santos 2024). However, by a more specific audience and commenters, he’s affectionately called names like “Daehan Logan.” This clever play on words combines his name with Daehan Minguk, the Korean term for South Korea. Such nicknames did not come by him lightly. According to interviews, the 24-year-old from Canada started cooking at around 14, motivated by demanding swim practices and a craving for food not typically found on a traditional Canadian menu (Ganz 2024). Sometimes using recipes, sometimes store-bought, Logan seamlessly incorporated Korean staples into his daily meals over time. With skill and dedication, he prepares traditional Korean dishes like kimchi jjigae (a spicy chili and meat stew), mul–naengmyeon (refreshing, ice-cold buckwheat noodle soup), and many more. While he explores cuisines from other cultures as well, Korean dishes take centre stage in most of his videos.

Logan’s videos are not just about cooking, they’re a crash course in culinary confidence, especially for a social media content creator. By tackling spice levels that leave his commenters nervously sweating or by casually fermenting his own kimchi, he turns unfamiliar techniques and dishes into something more approachable and intriguing. From breaking down fermentation stages to sharing tips on using various types of kimchi in the right dishes, his content, as his many Korean comments attest, combines “insider” expertise with an effortless charm. His nonchalant aura and straightforward, unexaggerated approach captivate both Western and Korean audiences. His laid-back demeanour and unbothered reactions are especially notable when addressing critiques of his recipes, the “exotic” ingredients he uses, or cultural differences like him slurping noodles in certain dishes. While slurping might be considered impolite in many Western cultures, in Korea, it’s simply a non-issue. He first gained attention for his homemade kimchi, and a refreshing cucumber kimchi salad, followed more recently by a California roll-inspired cucumber salad. The latter even landed him an interview with The New York Times, where he cited Maangchi, a prominent figure among Korean food content creators, as his biggest inspiration (Kim 2024). His recipes, whether traditionally Korean or adapted to his personal taste, consistently incorporate key elements of Korean and East Asian cuisine, such as sesame oil and seeds, soy sauce, aekjeot (fish sauce), ssal-sikcho (rice wine vinegar), gochujang (red pepper paste), and often a generous sprinkle of MSG.

One of Logan’s catchphrases, “MSG, Obviously,” has sparked both amusement and debate (Ganz 2024; Santos 2024). Monosodium glutamate, commonly known under the brand name “Miwon” in Korea, is a staple in many Asian cuisines. The flavour enhancer brings out umami, the savoury flavour that defines dishes like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), ramyeon (instant noodles, and thickens countless Korean soups and stews. While many viewers praised his unapologetic use of MSG, others reacted with disdain or confusion, underscoring lingering stereotypes and misinformation about Asian cooking. Like this, Logan inspires broader conversations about cultural perceptions of food. By normalizing MSG and highlighting its culinary value, he challenges prejudices and encourages audiences to appreciate the nuances of Korean cuisine. Logan’s content goes beyond recipes. His frequent trips to Korea, documented in travel vlog-style videos, showcase the cultural and social connections behind Korean food. From eel fishing on the coast to visiting cucumber and salt farms, sharing drinks over samgyeopsal (Korean pork BBQ), his activities highlight the labour, skill, and relationships involved in food production and consumption. These experiences counter the abstraction often seen with East Asian food on social media. Ingredients like live octopus or gopchang (grilled intestines), are frequently presented as shocking or extreme, catering to spectacle rather than understanding. Especially spicy foods are framed as exotic novelty or dare-worthy rather than appreciated for their cultural significance. By engaging with these ingredients and dishes authentically, he repositions them as part of a larger narrative, encouraging audiences to move beyond surface-level reactions and trends.

Logan’s approach also exemplifies the concept of “Glocalization,” coined by sociologist Roland Robertson. Glocalization refers to combination of global and local elements to create something completely new that resonates with diverse audiences (Robertson 1992). Logan’s recipes, like his kimchi margarita, kimchi jam, and blue cheese jjigae, are creative adaptations of Korean staples with Western influences. While some of his more adventurous experiments provoke mixed reactions, they also demonstrate how globalization can transform food into a shared cultural experience that transcends national borders.

References:

Chesanek, Carissa. “TikTok’s Viral ‘Cucumber Guy’ Shares 5 Recipes Featuring His Favorite Vegetable.” RealSimple, 26 Aug, 2024. https://www.realsimple.com/ways-to-eat-cucumber-logan-moffitt-tiktok-8695826.

Ganz, Stephanie. “How TikTok’s ‘Cucumber Guy’ Created the Summer’s Best Recipe.” AllRecipes, Aug 22, 2024. https://www.allrecipes.com/tiktok-cucumber-guy-logan-moffitt-interview-8699259.

Kim, Eric. “Ask TikTok’s ‘Cucumber Boy’ How to Prepare a Cucumber.” The New York Times, Aug 15, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/14/dining/tiktok-cucumber-guy-logan-moffitt.html.

Robertson, Roland. “Globalization: Social Theory and Global Culture.” Sage Publications, 1992. Santos, Claudia. “Millions Of People Are Eating An Entire Cucumber In This Viral TikTok Trend, So I Tried It To Find Out If It’s Worth The Hype.” BuzzFeed, Sep 9, 2024. https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiasantos/cucumber-salad-tiktok-recipe.

Lisa Hetterling is a student in the Master program Global East Asia at Freie Universität Berlin.