{"id":6255,"date":"2019-02-12T19:23:49","date_gmt":"2019-02-13T00:23:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/korean\/?p=6255"},"modified":"2019-02-12T19:23:49","modified_gmt":"2019-02-13T00:23:49","slug":"the-ways-i-enjoy-kimchi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/korean\/the-ways-i-enjoy-kimchi\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ways I Enjoy Kimchi"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kimchi is one of most common topics of interest that people bring up when I introduce myself as being a native Korean. Most people I have met expressed their love for the spicy cabbage food from Korea. \u00a0Although I admit that Kimchi is a kind of food where you either love it, or you hate it because of its spiciness and rather unforgettable odor. When I was in college, I had a roommate who freaked out because of the strong smell from our refrigerator. I could tell he hated it at first, but kimchi somehow slowly grew on him. By the time when I left the dormitory, he surprised me by asking me where to get them.<\/p>\n

I personally like freshly made kimchi because I like the crunchiness from the cabbage. However, fermented kimchi contain a lot more minerals and probiotics than the freshly made types. These strengthen your digestive and immune system. Traditionally, people used to dig the ground and bury big pots of kimchi to get them fermented for a couple months. I think this way is organic and healthy, but it takes a lot of effort.<\/p>\n

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Image by Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

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In my grandmother\u2019s time, all the housewives in the neighborhood would gather around to make kimchi during\u00a0\uae40\uc7a5\ucca0(kim-jang-chul:<\/strong>\u00a0a special season when Koreans make kimchi, approximately from late fall to early winter). While the women made kimchi, men in the neighborhood started digging the ground to bury it for the fermentation process. At the end of all this intensive labor, everyone could bring their shares to home. What teamwork!<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t watched it, but someone told me that on the TV show MASH they showed how Koreans used to make kimchi in this traditional way.<\/p>\n

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Image by Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

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Nowadays, most young Koreans I know buy kimchi from stores because it takes tremendous effort and time to make kimchi at home. In fact, most Koreans have a\u00a0\uae40\uce58\ub0c9\uc7a5\uace0(Kimchi-Nang-jang-go:<\/strong>\u00a0a specially designed refrigerator for kimchi. With it, they can control the speed and the quality of fermentation process without digging up the ground in the winter.<\/p>\n

Since I have been living outside of Korea over a decade, I don\u2019t have easy access to kimchi. My husband and I occasionally want to make some Korean food for dinner, which involves several trips to different stores to buy all the ingredients, including a jar of store-bought kimchi from an oriental grocery store. I am grateful that I can get kimchi in this way, but I often wish I could get different kimchi since there are so many varieties of kimchi.<\/p>\n

For instance, I want some \uc5f4\ubb34\uae40\uce58(yul-moo-kimchi:<\/strong>\u00a0kimchi made of young radish), and \uc624\uc774\uae40\uce58(oh-ee-kimchi<\/strong>: kimchi made of cucumber) for \ub0c9\uba74(nang-myeon<\/strong>: a delicious cold noodle dish) which is so refreshing in summer. Or I want some\u00a0\ub3d9\uce58\ubbf8(dong-chi-mi: <\/strong>a\u00a0non-spicy kimchi with radish juice) in the winter because \ub3d9\uce58\ubbf8<\/strong><\/span> helps with \uc785\uac00\uc2ec(ip-gah-sim:\u00a0<\/strong>to remove garlicy or other strong food taste after meals).<\/p>\n

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Image by Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

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Regardless of the season, you\u2019ll get the best out of \ubc30\ucd94\uae40\uce58<\/strong> (bae-choo-kimchi: <\/strong>the most common kimchi, made of cabbage) if you grill them first and wrap with barbeque meat, particularly with \uc0bc\uacb9\uc0b4(sam-gyup-sal:\u00a0<\/strong>a Korean style bacon). Oh, yum. Try it next time when you happen to go to Korean BBQ restaurants. You won\u2019t regret it.<\/p>\n

In fact, my experience in kimchi is probably limited since I am from just one area of Korea. There are more than 30 different kinds of kimchi from Korea. Each providence in Korea has different local produces to make their own authentic kimchi.<\/p>\n

Kimchi can leave a strong first impression whether it is a positive or negative, but I strongly recommend you give it a try. I personally need to muster up courage to try some other authentic food as well, but I would never know unless I try it. Who knows? You might be sucked into the \u201ckimchi blackhole\u201d like my ex-roommate.<\/p>\n

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Kimchi is one of most common topics of interest that people bring up when I introduce myself as being a native Korean. Most people I have met expressed their love for the spicy cabbage food from Korea. \u00a0Although I admit that Kimchi is a kind of food where you either love it, or you hate…<\/p>\n

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