I Love Gimchi!

I can really, honestly say that now. At first, our relationship was rough and unpredictable. I like trying new foods but I can be a bit of a chicken about it sometimes. I attribute this to how I was raised- it was definitely a meat and potatoes upbringing. In fact, I didn't try sushi, any kind of Indian, Thai or Vietnamese food until I was in university. It just wasn't available where I grew up and my Mom didn't cook that kind of stuff. (Not that she couldn't, she just didn't- make no mistake, my Mom actually is the best cook in the world.)

Anyway, when we first moved to Korea I was pretty nervous about a lot of the new foods I was presented with. It took me awhile to get into eating Korean cuisine but I eased my way in with the classic galbi and samgyupsal (both kinds of barbecued meat). If I am being really honest, I didn't start to like and choose to eat gimchi until we started this contract (our second year). Now I really like it and sometimes even crave it. I'm over the whole "spicy" angle and I even have gimchi preferences (I like mine with more fish oil and garlic).

Needless to say I am delighted with the gimchi present from one of my Korean Moms. Her mother-in-law made it and shipped it all the way from one of the southern provinces. Now I can have gimchi at home with every meal if I want to. It's gimchi making season right now and I think one of the other Moms (the one who made the gimchi jeon) is going to be giving me more homemade gimchi (that she made). On top of that, one of the other Moms is going to let me make gimchi at her house sometime this week. Exciting! I know it's cliche but after living here for almost 2 years I've never had the opportunity to make it and now I feel like I am in a place where I can appreciate gimchi in all it's glory.