Ep2 Kimchi

Hello everyone, welcome back to Korean Kimchi Power. I'm Susie and today we're talking about something that's a big part of everyday life in Korea, which is kimchi. You know, there's a drug in Korea that says, "Korean's are strong because we eat so much kimchi." And when I decided to name this podcast, Korean Kimchi Power, I immediately thought, "I have to make an episode all about kimchi." So here we are. Let's dive into the word of kimchi together and see what makes it so special. Korean Kimchi is a process that contains a lot of kimchi before winter comes, but most Korean families still prepare kimchi for the winter to eat once a year. They prepare kimchi for the cold winter. Another interesting thing is that you don't just eat kimchi as side dish, but you use it for a variety of dishes. For example, kimchi stew or kimchi fried rice is a very popular dish. Even if kimchi is a little old, it doesn't throw away, and it becomes really delicious when you put it in stew or fried rice. The surprising thing about living abroad is that most of my foreign friends already know kimchi and even like it. What my friends say is, "It's spicy, but once you eat it, it's addictive," so they keep eating it. In Korea, kimchi is on almost every dining table and growing up. I remember it was all the way there in my home too. Kimchi isn't just a side dish, it's something that holds a lot of cultural value, especially during a tradition called Kimjang. Kimjang is the process of making kimchi in large batches just before winter, and most Korean families still have a time each winter to make their kimchi for the year. It's a way to prepare for the cold season and fill up on kimchi that lasts for months. Another interesting thing about kimchi is that we don't only eat it as a side dish. We use it in lots of other dishes too. For example, we make kimchi jjigae, which is kimchi stew, or kimchi bokkeumbap, which means kimchi fried rice, and both of them really their popular comforting foods, and even if kimchi gets a little old or sour, we don't waste it. It actually adds great flavor to stews and fried rice. Living abroad, I was surprised to find that many of my friends already knew about kimchi and even liked it. They told me it's spicy but kind of addictive. Once they tried it, they couldn't stop eating it. This made me realize that kimchi isn't just a Korean food, it's something people around the world are really starting to enjoy. Let's go over some key words from today's episode, kimchi. The start of today's episode, Korea's famous fermented side dish, kimjang, the tradition of making kimchi in large batches for the winter season, kimchi jjigae, a popular stew made with kimchi, kimchi bokkeumbap, kimchi fried rice, mekom ha dak, a word to describe that delicious spicy flavor. That's it for today's episode about kimchi. I hope you enjoyed learning more about this special dish, and maybe, just maybe, it makes us strong. I hope you'll get a chance to try it or even make it yourself someday. Thanks for listening, and I'll see you in the next episode. Bye for now. Bye!