Korean Job Discussion Forums

flummuxt · Joined: 15 Mar 2007

What's your honest opinion of kimchi?

And what opinion do you offer when asked by Koreans?

Do you like Korea's national dish just as it is, or do you think it could be improved? How?

Do you think it is healthy to eat kimchi every day? Or do you avoid kimchi because it is unhealthy?

Have you ever eaten kimchi and rice for breakfast of your own volition?

(Newbies, if you get taken out for breakfast when you first arrive, and want to impress your hosts, order kimchi and rice. They'll be your buds for life.)

What, exactly, is in kimchi, and why are Koreans so obsessed with it?

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of varieties of kimchi. Some I like, some I can't stand.

plus99 · Joined: 30 Dec 2007

i think ive eaten it .5 times. that was plenty for me.

plus99 · Joined: 30 Dec 2007

woooo my vote is winning.

wylies99 · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!

plus99 · Joined: 30 Dec 2007

i drink beer everyday to stay healthy

The Perfect Cup of Coffee · Joined: 17 Jun 2007

Usually once a day. I actually like the cucumber kimchi. Nice as a side dish.

The cabbage stuff is alright I guess, but I'd rather have it in stew or fried up with some rice or pork.

whatever · Joined: 11 Jun 2006 Location: Korea: More fun than jail.

caniff · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: All over the map

The cabbage or cucumber kimchi for me. The radish is alright. But all of it depends on who made it and the recipe. Some is delicious, some tastes like a Korean school lunch lady made it and then it was forgotten in the back of the fridge for a year, then rediscovered and served.

Mebertz · Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Location: Suncheon

Kimchi? I've never heard of the stuff.

Mike

caniff · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: All over the map

http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0521,lalli3,64208,15.html

Mebertz · Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Location: Suncheon

I was joking. How could anyone living here not have heard of it. I'll take sauerkraut over that any day. It's better for you than kimchi too.

Mike

caniff · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: All over the map

I assumed you were joking, guy. I linked that article because I thought it was a little interesting how well-known kimchi is now in a place like NYC.

I'd say 10-15 years ago it was pretty unknown by most everyone outside of the Asian/Korean communities, but that isn't true any longer.

Then there are the occasional reports I see or hear about: Kimchi can cause stomach cancer. I used to work at the National Cancer Center in Ilsan, and the doctors there weren't denying it.

plus99 · Joined: 30 Dec 2007

bluelake · Joined: 01 Dec 2005

I like most kimchi, although I'm not too fond of those that use too much fish sauce or salt. I enjoy sour kimchi to fresh (my wife's the opposite). One of my favorite types is 순무 김치 from Kanghwa Island.

My first experience with kimchi happened about twenty-five years ago, shortly before first coming to Korea. I had dinner at the house of the man who first introduced me to the country. He served kimchi, but it was store-bought and spoiled (yes, you can spoil kimchi). That was almost my first and last time to try it.

Another time, a couple years after my wife and I went back to the States, we bought a jar of the stuff in Chicago while visiting there. When we got back home, we opened it up, ate it from the jar and watched TV; before we knew it, it was all gone. Let's just suffice it to say the restroom had plenty of traffic that night...