The Popularity of the Kimchi - Research Paper Example

Introduction Like every chef, each country has its signature food or dish. In Korea, this food would be the popular kimchi. Similar to how rice is to Filipinos or Vietnamese or how bread is to Americans, kimchi is one of the staple dishes in its motherland. It has become so popular that it has become a favored dish “in many countries throughout Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America, as well as in Australia.”1 This paper attempts to rationalize the popularity of the Korean dish, kimchi, through personal interviews conducted by the researcher. The Koreans proudly say that kimchi does not only taste good but it is also very healthy. This is why kimchi is a special dish for them. In America and in other parts of the world, the dish has gained quite a following. By conducting research on my Korean friends, I discovered that kimchi as a culture is getting popular no matter in Korea or America. This is not only because of its tastes, healthy ingredients, nutritional value and its history, but also because it represents the spirit of the Korean people and culture. Fieldwork The world now is full of health products. Their manufacturers say the products will help clean people’s bodies, prevent diseases or sicknesses or help people live longer. Some of these products are supposedly organic while some come in the form of capsules or tablets that are made from chemicals. I find this fact ironic because I do not think chemicals can be good for the body. As for eating organic food, I have yet to appreciate the taste because sometimes it can be very unfamiliar to the taste buds. Hanging out with several friends from Korea, I found out that Koreans do not care for organic food or food supplements because they have their own “health dish”. This is what they call kimchi. I was further intrigued by kimchi when I discovered that it was being enjoyed around the world by non-Koreans, too. Health enthusiasts around the world have found out that the ingredients in the dish bring a lot of nutrition to one’s body. To find out more about this Korean delicacy, I conducted some research and personally interviewed some of my Korean friends. This paper is a collection of my friends’ experiences about kimchi. A non-American living in the United States cannot avoid eating fast food. The country is known for its McDonald’s, Burger Kings and iHops. These chains make eating convenient for the busy people in the country, foreigner or not. Koreans are no exception. However, since the K orean diet is so different from the typical American one, the people from Korea have brought Korean food they cannot live without to the United States. One of these is the traditional dish, kimchi. There are various kinds of Kimchi according to what main ingredient was used such as baechu kimchi (the common one from napa cabbage), chong-gak kimchi (made from brined raddish), gat kimchi (from mustard leaves), yeol-moo kimchi (from summer raddish), kkak-doo-ki (from diced raddish), dong-chi-mi (water-based kimchi) and more. 2 Most of the people I interviewed prefer the usual or traditional one which is made with cabbage. The variety in the kinds of kimchi also depends on where the dish is made. According to my friend, Minsoo Ryu, the taste is mild in the southwestern part of the country while it is made salty and spicy in the southeast. 3 Jinwook Hyun says in North Korea, where it is colder, it is not too salty because the kimchi would not spoil easily. However, in the southern part it has to be salty to be good in the warmer climate. 4 Whatever kind of kimchi it is, most of my friends say they prefer their mothers’ or their grandmothers’ interpretation of the dish.56789 A couple of them would rather eat homemade kimchi than buying the ready-made ones from the store because the latter is less tasty and salty 10 and because the ingredients of those in the supermarket are unknown. 11 Almost all Koreans know the concept behind making kimchi, especially the traditional one. This is because of the annual event in late October or early November called Kimjang (Kimchi-making) 12 where close relatives, sometimes friends and neighbors gather together to prepare batches of the dish to consume in winter. This is a very special activity is also a time of feasting because of the food prepared and given to those who help in making the kimchi and a chance to spend time with one’s neighbors and friend. 13 Most of my Korean friends have either helped or watched their mothers make the dish. For the traditional kind or baechu kimchi, the cabbage is cut in half and rough salt is rubbed into each layer of the vegetable. After an hour or two or when the cabbage is soft, the vegetable is rinsed and the seasoning is added to each layer. 141516 My friend, Jessica, prefers to make raddish kimchi because it tastes juicy and sweet. 17 My other friend, Jinwook, likes kimchi that is made with lettuce among the many types of the dish he has tried. 18 The most frequent seasonings used are brine, scallions and spices, ginger, chopped radish, garlic, shrimp sauce and fish sauce. 19 A long time ago and even now in some places, Koreans preserve the dish in large jar containers instead of refrigerators especially made to store kimchi. 20 Fermentation is an important part of the process. My friend Eunice says the longer it ferments, the more sour the dish gets. 21 As mentioned earlier, the dish is a common sight on the dining table every meal time. Together with rice, a typical meal in Korea includes a main and various side dishes, one of which is kimchi. 22 A number of food items have also been created by using the popular side dish. There is kimchi fried rice, pancake made with kimchi and kimchi stew. The last one is made by putting kimchi, some meat and water in a pot to boil. 23 I found out that although my friends are not in their homeland, they eat kimchi at least 5 times a week, if not every day. Sanghoon even eats it together with pizza. 24 They say this is because the dish is supposedly very nutritious and therefore good for the Koreans’ health. Well-fermented kimchi is supposed to have antibiotic functions like lactic acid bacteria which stop the growth of harmful bacteria and other bacteria in the intestines. 25 The dish also has vitamins A, B, C while the compounds in the fermented cabbage may hinder the growth of cancer like Jessica and Minsoo shared with me. 26 Individually, the different ingredients in the dish also add to the benefit of eating kimchi. Garlic, chili pepper, onions and sesame oil lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar levels and combat allergies. 27 Kimchi was named one of the five healthiest foods in the world. To celebrate this event and give credit to the 22 ingredients that make up the dish, in 2008, the Korea Kimchi Association assigned November 22 as National Kimchi Day where they give information about kimchi’s excellence and history and develop kimchi culture. 28 Conclusion For this "Korean kimchi" research, I have done 6 interviews with my Korean friends. Some of them were raised in Korea and came here to study, and some of them grew up here. They told me a lot about the kimchi in Korea and America. There are some interesting things like the way of making kimchi; the special ingredients that their families use for homemade kimchi; and, the difference in the taste and the making of the kimchi between northern and southern part of Korea. I also found out that most of Korean people love kimchi very much that they could not eat without kimchi in each single meal. Korean people like to give kimchi as a gift to their families and friends to show their respect29 and love 30 as well. By researching them, I discovered that the kimchi as a culture is getting popular no matter in Korea or America. It is because not only of its tastes, healthy ingredients, nutritional value and its history, but also because it represents the spirit of the Korean people and their culture. 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