Korean Job Discussion Forums

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

Maybe I have been here too long when these things get to me, but when kimchi is called a delicacy, I twitch a bit. A delicacy is something expensive and more or less not an every day food enjoyed by all at every meal. To me kimchi is an everyday food enjoyed at every meal and by every one (almost). It is cheap in relation to other foods, and isn't that big of deal to make, contrary to belief. I say all this because this is the second time the Digital Chosun has done this:

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200602/200602030022.html

peony · Joined: 30 Mar 2005

i agree its a staple food in korean cuisine. its just as much a part of the meal as rice is

capebretoncanadian · Joined: 20 Feb 2005

If they want to advertise it as such; Korea is able to qualify Kimchi as a delicacy if they so choose.

pest2 · Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Ummmm no lets see.... no... I'd rather eat staples from my office stapler than that nasty Kimchi cr@pp!

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

To other countries, it may be considered a delicacy.

stumptown · Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 7:27 am Post subject:

Rather than consider it either a delicacy or staple, I consider a fundamental component of national self identity. When asking students what did you eat for lunch I find that rice and kimchi are the two most common answers. Meaning either "rice" or "kimchi" are the responses I get.

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

JongnoGuru · Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep

Swiss James · Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Location: Shanghai

I don't really know what a 'delicacy' is supposed to be- it conjures up images of eating caviar with an ivory spoon but is basically used whenever foreigners eat funny food.

On dictionary.com it says

SPINOZA · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

kangnam mafioso · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: Teheranno

i think koreans are just using the word "delicacy" in the wrong context, which happens a lot with non-native speakers. it's like when koreans say: let's go to this restaurant -- it's very famous. "famous" has the wrong connotation when you are speaking about a popular local restaurant.

Old fat expat · Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 7:08 pm Post subject:

In the West we eat cheese. Lots of cheese. Mmmmm. Cheese.

Is it a delicacy? My first response is no, although I could reason my way through to claiming certain cheeses are. But your every day velveta? I think not.

Or in Slovakia they eat sauerkraut. Lots of sauerkraut. Mmmmm. Sauerkraut.

There are many kinds of chimchi. I think most are staples, and some may be delicacies. I like chimchi but generally find nothing delicate about it.

Reflections · Joined: 04 Jan 2005

Remember when I first arrived in Gimpo some years ago, I asked the girl at the information desk at the airport, what is popular here for tourists. I was referring to like an activity.

But, she said to me, 'well you haven't heard of kimchi? (with a surprised look), its very famous'.

Selling your country with a rotten vegetable, cool.

Personally, I think the stuff stinks, uhh.... Kimchi was invented for a people who never got to benefit from the finer foods in life. Like cheeseee>

Oh, back to the topic, yeah staple for sure.

But I saw on CNN yesterday that it is becoming something of a delicacy in China. Or, I could be wrong.

Cedar · Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:10 am Post subject:

It's both