Korean BBQ offers ‘Seoulid’ discounts to thinner diners

Singapore—Everybody and his brother loves Korean barbecue, which explains why restaurants serving it have proliferated like mushrooms in the past few years. And so we can understand when Korean BBQ joints might have to think up innovative ways and promotions to keep a steady stream of customers coming in.

One such eatery, Seoulid Korean BBQ, at 328 Clementi Ave 2, #01-220 is appealing to thinner patrons by offering them considerable discounts.

Here, the thinner is certainly the winner! Of big discounts, that is.

The promo can be seen in a video uploaded by Facebook page Buffet King, which announced, “Must-try: Seoulid Korean BBQ

Korean BBQ gives you discount if you are underweight!

Weekday: $18.80 (Mon-Thur)

Weekend: $22.80 (Fri-Sun & PH)

15% OFF if BMI less than 20 (Underweight)

10% OFF if BMI 20-25 (Healthy weight)”

This means that on weekdays, patrons falling under the Healthy Weight category (BMI of 20 to 25) would pay S$16.92, and and S$20.52 on weekends. Underweight customers would only be paying S$15.98 on weekdays, and S$19.38 on weekends.

Sounds like a sweet deal for those who need sweets the most, although completely discriminatory for the rest of humanity who may not fit into these categories, and we are a sizable number, pun fully intended.

In the video, a slender young man takes his shoes off and his height and weight are measured. The food of Seoulid Korean BBQ is then introduced, with a variety of meat and seafood, plus noodles and soup, and so on.

The post has been shared a few thousand times so far, with many netizens tagging their seemingly slender friends who would fit the category of “underweight” or “healthy weight” and therefore qualify for a discount.

To calculate one’s BMI, take your weight (in kilograms) and divide it by your height (in meters) multiplied by itself.

So, a person who is 150 kilos and is 1.8 meters tall would need to divide 150 by 3.24, resulting in a BMI of 46.3, which is considered to be obese and way higher than the cutoff BMI that would qualify them for a discount at Seoulid Korean BBQ.

While thinner Singaporeans may flock to Seoulid Korean BBQ for the discounts, research has shown that BMI is an inaccurate way of measuring overall health. For one thing, it was developed way back in the 1800s.

Doctors have junked the traditional BMI method of measuring health in favour of better ways that take into account significant information about gender, age, bone structure, and fat distribution throughout the body.

A study in the International Journal of Obesity says, “A person’s percentage of body fat is known to increase with age, whereas muscle mass decreases, but the person’s weight and height do not necessarily reflect such changes in body fat and muscle mass. Some elderly persons who are portly but have low muscle mass have normal or even low BMI scores, an underestimation of body fat.”

Furthermore, an article in Scientific American mentions that “the BMI calculation is based primarily on Caucasian body types and may not be appropriate for people of other ethnicities. When compared to white Europeans of the same BMI, Asians appear to have a four percent higher total body fat. South Asians, in particular, have especially high levels of abdominal obesity, which can throw off the BMI measurement as well.”

Just all around good information to know, in case some Singaporeans feel bad for not qualifying for the discounts Seoulid Korean BBQ is giving!  -/TISG