김치 (Kimchi)

          

Picture Source: Wikipedia

          If you have any interest in Korea, then I'm going to assume that you have at least heard of the term, "kimchi." (김치) What exactly is kimchi? It is a famous Korean dish, made of cabbage with spices. And when I say famous, I mean, they eat it with their meal everyday. It just goes with the daily 3 Korean meals with rice. Koreans love kimchi, it's the first dish that Koreans studying abroad crave and the extra side dish that is required when eating some other main dish.

          As a younger child, I did not like kimchi all that much. In fact, I almost never ate it. My sister and brother liked kimchi. But I didn't think it was good. It actually has nothing to do with the fact that I have been growing up in America, in fact, there are other very few Koreans who do not like kimchi. Now, those people are super rare but yes, they exist. I guess you can think of it this way, kimchi to Koreans is like hamburgers to Americans. Hamburgers may be popular to Americans, but that doesn't mean that every single American likes hamburgers. So it is with kimchi, only it's less stereotypical and kimchi is very close to being a necessity of Korean life. 

          Anyway, back to my experience with kimchi. So growing up, I avoided eating kimchi and although my parents probably weren't too thrilled about this, they gave up on trying to make me eat it a long time ago. But then along the way, I started liking kimchi. It wasn't a spontaneous change that happened in the course of a day or anything, it was more gradual. One way to put it is that I acquired the "Korean taste". Now when I eat a Korean meal without kimchi, I just feel like something is missing. I need my kimchi. This is all very true of me now but I think it's because I had that habit of avoiding kimchi when I was younger that I still go without kimchi while eating a meal sometimes.

          Kimchi has a strong smell, it gives out a strong odor. Given the fact that kimchi is made by spreading red pepper paste, adding spices, and garlic and then all of it packed together in glass jars to be ripened, it really does have a strong smell. Not too long ago my dad has asked us (my siblings and I) if anybody has made fun of us for smelling bad at school, particularly because of kimchi, and I honestly answered no. We eat a Korean breakfast everyday, even on schooldays. Then my dad went on to say that he's heard his other companions say that their children won't eat kimchi before they go to school because the kids said they smelled. Upon hearing that I couldn't help but think that either they're telling the truth or they're using that as an excuse to get out of eating kimchi.

          Despite the fact that kimchi has a strong smell and naturally, tastes very foreign to those who have never ate it all their life like a typical Korean, it is very nutritious. Actually, thinking back, during my older years of elementary school, I got into eating more kimchi because I've watched a Korean cartoon about kimchi and how healthy it is. 

          Here's another great thing about kimchi, it's bold taste comes in very handy at times. For example, my family and I have asked for kimchi to be brought to the table when we're eating a super greasy pasta or something. You know that feeling when you're eating something pretty greasy and you need to wash your mouth out with water or something? I know something better than water - kimchi! Totally cleans out that greasiness in your mouth. Not only that, kimchi is great solution when you're meal is bland.

          Maybe if you're someone who's never heard of this Korean dish called kimchi, you're judging that kimchi is just nasty based on its description. But really, it isn't. I feel like if I wasn't Korean and I was just reading the description of kimchi I might think that way also, but really, when you actually have kimchi, it's not like you can actually see all the spices or the garlic or anything. 

          So, if you are planning on trying kimchi someday, (especially if you plan on visiting Korea, in that case, it's impossible for you to avoid kimchi, really), let me warn you, it is spicy. Maybe this was obvious by the picture and/or description, but it is. But honestly, it's funny for me to tell you that kimchi is spicy because we Koreans who have grown up eating kimchi do not find kimchi spicy. So if you're a typical Korean who have been exposed to kimchi before and say that you think kimchi is spicy, the vast majority of us Koreans will look at you and exclaim, "What?!" But after seeing the reactions of my non-Korean friends who've tried kimchi, it must really be spicy. So there's your heads up. :) [848]