Front Page News!

65% of Women Unable to Make Gimchi.

I woke up to what appeared to be a normal morning but quickly learnt that according to a survey there's a crisis brewing in Korea. Fall is the traditional time that you see women outside their homes soaking cabbage in vats of salt water before slathering them up with hot chili peppers. It's a two day process that women are skipping in favour of the cheaper and easier store bought stuff.

The article then went on to talk about new technology also taking away from tradition Korean life. Gimchi used to be stored in giant pots which were then buried in the ground for the fermentation process to take place. That was then and Gimchi fridges are now. These things look like a mini deep freeze that exclusively house Gimchi. Families have found it's easier to top them off with packaged Gimchi rather than digging up homemade side dishes.

Whenever I teach the teacher's class Gimchi always comes up. (It usually comes right after learning my name, "Cam, do you like Gimchi?") Pressed about their Gimchi making skills the teachers (men included) all understand the process but few make the stuff. Unlike the front page story the reason they don't is they just want their mom's Gimchi and if they can't have that store bought will have to do.