The Kimchi

Kimchi is more Korean than apple pie could ever be American. Kimchi is to Korea what an apple pie would be to America if it was wrapped in an American flag, fried in hot dog grease, and washed down with coca cola poured by Bruce Springsteen. I haven't yet read a translated version of the South Korean national anthem, but there's surely a passage about the importance of Kimchi to the Korean national character.

There's no doubt that kimchi is an acquired taste... for everyone who's not Korean. I'm lucky, I actually love kimchi. But here's why, in my opinion, most westerners have a chilly disposition towards this most Korean dish. My feeling is that westerners can do spicy, and we can do cold, but doing them together presents some problems. For example, chilli is spicy, but it's hot. Curry is spicy, but it's hot. kimchi isn't just lukewarm ala green pepper, it's actually refrigerated and served quite cold. Beyond that, and it's somewhat sloppy appearance, I can't really pinpoint what is so divisive about something which is, essentially, spicy cabbage.

So how important is kimchi to average Koreans? These are two conversations I had over the last week with some teachers at my school.

Dialogue 1:
Brad - So you and your family are going to Australia?
Jae Jeon - Yes, we will go [for] 10 days.
B - Will you eat the Australian food?
JJ - Yes, but we bring kimchi.
B - Why?
JJ - My family need kimchi.
B - How many days have you had with no kimchi? (now this was hard to explain so picture lots of exaggerated body language on my part)
JJ - Oh I see... 10.
B - 10 days? When was that?
JJ - When I was young (he's 43) and in military. They kept us in woods for 10 days.

Dialogue 2:
Brad - Did you like French food when you went to Paris?
Sun Jung - Yes, but very oily.
B - Did you miss Korean food?
SJ - Yes, very much.
B - Did you eat Korean food in Paris?
SJ - Yes, I had the kimchi in Paris.
B - How many days in a row did you have no kimchi?
SJ - 3.
B - Is that the most days in a row you had no kimchi?
SJ - (looks at me like I asked a ridiculous question) Of course!

I say this with in total honesty, most Koreans eat kimchi with every single meal they sit for. Can you imagine eating one thing with every meal? Just think, what if Americans ate spinach at EVERY MEAL?! That concept of one food at every meal is completely fascinating to me.