The sound of drums echoes above the buzz and hum of Times Square. Five musicians dressed in traditional Korean clothes are sitting on a sparse stage, drumsticks poised, sleeves billowing in the autumn air. A small crowd gathers. The man seated stage center lets out a cry in Korean, answered by the slow, rhythmic, building pounds on the drums and gongs. It moves faster and faster, until people are cheering and whistling. Visitors sitting on the roof of a passing tour bus cry out at the performance. The sharp, pungent smell of kimchi is impossible to ignore. This is the Korean Food Festival 2014. This is where white people are forced to eat seaweed - and like it.

Any event that offers free food attracts a crowd. But can the international audience handle fruit-flavored vinegar drinks and kimchi's acquired taste? I went to the Korean Food Festival 2014 to find out.

The Korean Food Festival, set in the heart of Times Square, took place on October 17-18 this year. A large stage featured everything from traditional Korean drum performances to Taekwondo routines. Rows of booths offered delicious free samples of small bites of Korea: kimchi, bulgogi rice balls, flavored vinegar and yogurt drinks, chunks of korean pear, sheets of dried seaweed, Korean ramen, rice cooked with a spicy condiment called gochujang, smoked oysters, jujube scones, a seaweed pizza, and persimmon smoothies for a sip of sweetness.

One Filipino man visiting New York with friends had an expression of delight while nibbling on one of the free samples. He informed me of his previous travels to Korea and how people in the Philippines share their love for food.

"Korean food is close to my cuisine - we both love spices. Cooking is an art in these cultures and the recipes are passed down from generation to generation," Ronnie Espina, 44, told me.

Ricardo Hering, 50, of Brazil did not quite share Ronnie's enthusiasm.

"I've never had Korean food before. This is my first time. It's... interesting," Ricardo said hesitantly. "It's spicy. But good," he added.

Another visitor at the Korean Food Festival held a small cup of a dark liquid while waiting in line for a selection of Korean fruit juice samples.

"This festival is cute," Shari McKoy, 51, said, an employee at the nearby Viacom. "I'm trying lots of different things, like this vinegar drink. The lady told me it's really good for you. But I love kimchi! It's excellent for your stomach," she said, describing the dish to me in great detail.

The food may have been tasty, but the crowd was anything but delicious. Free samples means lots of people and crowd control was not organized very well at the Korean Food Festival 2014. People frequently cut lines and elbowed each other out of the way for that last piece of kimbap. The space between the booths was narrow, a recipe for trampling feet and bumping shoulders. I believe many visitors did not speak English, which would explain why after staff behind the booths would say, "Please don't take the samples yet, we are still prepping," random swipes of strangers meant multiple missing bulgogi rice balls before the people in the front of the line even had a chance.

I soon learned the trick was to systematically wait at each booth for food - skipping around just got too confusing. Patience is key when it comes to events hosted in Times Square.

At the end of the booths a kind staff lady convinced me to dress up in a traditional Korean hanbok. My hat may be crooked in the photo, but that's probably because I was too full of spicy, savory, and sweet treats to stand straight.