One of the great things about living in Hawai'i is the diversity in our community. The ethnic makeup is unique: Our state has the highest percentage of Asians.

This also results in a diverse grouping of restaurants in our community.

Guess what is the single most common question I am asked when I meet people in Honolulu? "Why are female Korean golfers so good?" "What is the hottest Korean drama currently on?" "Why are Korean dramas so popular?"

While these questions are frequently asked, the most common is, "Where do you go for Korean food?"

I am neither a food critic nor an expert, but have done my share of entertaining many guests from abroad, so when I am asked where to go for Korean food, I really don't have an answer.

I don't have a specific, favorite Korean restaurant. I love the Korean restaurants in Los Angeles, where the Korean population is nearly 10 times what it is here. Because of that, competition among restaurants has become very fierce. Korean restaurants there are specialized: Menus are very simple; options are limited to their specialties.

Whether it is tofu stew, kalbi, noodles or simple rice porridge, a Los Angeles diner would know exactly where to go to satisfy a specific craving. Portions are large, and even natives will say food there is actually better than in South Korea.

Side dishes (ban-chan) number anywhere from eight to 12 varieties, and side dishes alone are a meal. At one point, the number of side dishes was equated with how good the restaurant was in Los Angeles. The more side dishes, the better the rating.

In Hawai'i, competition exists among Korean restaurants, and it seems many have found their niche. Most large Korean restaurants here have pages of Korean dishes, in general, all good. But compared with Los Angeles, there are fewer specialty restaurants.

If you compare the same dish among Korean restaurants here, they are all pretty good. So when I crave something specific, I don't know where to go.

This is starting to change. The popularity of Korean dramas also increased business for Korean restaurants, since viewers want to try what they saw being consumed on TV. And with an increase in business, more restaurants are starting to take that bold step of specializing in a specific dish.

THIS WEEK'S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'BRIDE FROM VIETNAM'

EPISODES 1 AND 2

Tonight at 7: Jin-ju is a half-Korean, half-Vietnamese girl living alone with her mom in Vietnam. She works for a Korean wedding agency in Vietnam, finding brides for Korean men. Jun-wu suffers from paranoia after a traumatic breakup from his girlfriend, Ji-young, three years ago.

Tonight at 8: Jun-wu gets upset when he hears his mother has gone to Vietnam to find him a wife. When Jin-ju learns her mom is rapidly losing her sight, she decides to marry Jun-wu and goes to Korea to look for her father. Ok-kyong is busy getting ready for the wedding of her son, Young-min.

'THANK YOU'

EPISODES 15 AND 16

Tomorrow at 7:50 p.m.: Young-shin tells Suk-hyun that Spring is not his daughter, but her daughter alone. But Suk-hyun's coworker sees Suk-hyun and Spring together, and tells them that they look like father and daughter. Ki-suh tells Young-shin that Ji-min, his late girlfriend, was the doctor in charge when Spring was contaminated with AIDS.

Tuesday at 7:50 p.m.: (Final episode) Ki-suh comes home from the clinic to find the house empty. He frantically runs out to find Young-shin leaving in a moving truck. The whole village apologizes to Young-shin and begs her not to leave the island.

'MONEY WAR'

EPISODES 15 AND 16

Wednesday at 7:50 p.m.: Ju-hee tells Nara to give up on Blue Angel, and instead to help the poor with the money. Nara and Ju-hee come back to the office to find the secret safe empty. Mr. Docko tells Nara to forget the whole thing and start over again from the bottom.

Thursday at 7:50 p.m.: (Final episode) Ha Woo-sung asks Madam Bong for a loan with his stake in Blue Angel as collateral, and she accepts his offer. When Nara hears of the deal between Ha Woo-sung and Madam Bong, he runs to the shareholders meeting in hopes of stopping Ha Woo-sung.

'AIR CITY'

EPISODES 7 AND 8

Friday at 7:50 p.m.: Do-kyong unknowingly carries a bag with cocaine in it for her friend, and gets arrested. Do-kyong's office and home are searched by police. Ji-sung is frustrated that the only person to clear Dokyong's name is in a coma.

Saturday at 7:50 p.m.: Dokyong learns Ha-jun flew all the way to Hong Kong to clear her name. When she fails to get in touch with him, she follows him to Hong Kong.