Poor- 2. Kimchi

Basic Info:

Whoever doesn’t know Kimchi (even if they are not Koreans) are no human who live in this planet. Kimchi is the food that represents Korea and had been famous for many years. Its spiciness not only attract Koreans but also foreigners. The most famous type of kimchi is the one made with cabbage but there are hundreds of others such as the ones made with radish, cucumber, even the ones without the spice. Kimchi is year-long side dish and goes along with almost anything- even with carbonara. :)))   

History:

According to the history, people began to eat kimchi since the era of Sinla. In order to ㄴstore the vegetables longer people preserved them with salt. During Koryo Era, more vegetables were preserved with more spices were added to improve the scent and taste. That was only a beginning. The real red, spicy kimchi that we know today was created when Japanese invasion of Korea occurred. That was when red pepper had dispersed to Korea from the Columbian Exchange. Red pepper reduced the amount of salt that was used to make kimchi and fishlike smell. Peasant women in same village or neihborhood used to gather around and make kimchi before winter came. 

CCOT:

The spice that came from Columbian Exchange and passed to us through Japan seem to have changed the recipe and view of others of our food. The spice added more interesting and addicting flavor that kimchi was now popular food all around the globe. Korea used to be unknown to the foreign countries but with kimchi many tourists visit Korea and always compliment how good kimchi is. However from the past to present nothing really changed about kimchi. People of Korea seem to have been conservative about the recipe that our ancestors had passed on to us.

Experience:

As Korean I LOVE eating Kimchi. Its quite good even if there is only kimchi and hot cooked rice. With chopstick I would wrap the red cabbage around white steaming rice grains and pop it into my mouth. As I chew on the food, spicy and salty flavor would balance with flavorless rice and it would be neither hot nor cold. I also have tried old kimchi (it’s called Mu Geun Ji) which is kimchi that has been preserved for very long time and been washed in clean water. Salty and spiciness were could be detected still and when you eat it with beef or pork you will feel like you are in heaven. 

Mu Geun Ji wrapped around rice and pork

Poor-1. Rice Wine

Basic Info:

Rice wine is white and milky

Rice wine is Korean traditional alcohol drink that has color of white and is made up of either rice or wheat and yeast for the drink to become fermented. However unlike normal alcohol that are harmful, rice wine produces lactic acid bacteria that are supposed to be healthy and contain only 6% of alcohol, which is lower than other types of drinks. According to the recent discovery rice wine can prevent getting cancer and the critical age (menopause for women). 

History:

The oldest record on rice wine is during the era of 3 Kingdoms. It was used not only as drink to quench the thirst but to fill up stomach instead of the meal. Usually the farmers favored this drink. The drink was available to the peasants anywhere. It relieved stress for the hard working peasants and went along with almost any food.

Peasant men eating and drinking (rice wine) after working in the field

CCOT:

Even today rice wine is one of the popular alcohol drink for Korean people. However it has been developed by adding ginseng, fruit or other ingredients depending on individual’s taste and they have been tried to reduce the sour taste. Rice wine used to be the drink that ancient Korean peasants enjoyed to drink but today it is being exported to Japan and even to the west. In Japan, unlike Korea, the wine is considered as high class drink since it was good for the body. This is an example of Korea’s culture impacting on today’s Korean economy. 

Experience: 

Don’t judge me as corrupted child but to confess, I did try the wine few times in my life. I didn’t drink the whole bottle but a sip. I’ve always wondered how alcohol tasted like since the elders always said it was good and made them feel good. One day my dad once convinced me to take a sip of the wine. I hesitated first because first of all I was underage and second of all the smell was really bad. Still my curiosity wanted to find out the taste. I took a small sip and almost puked. The taste was really sour and bitter at the same time. As I watched my dad gulping down the wine I was freaked out. Even a small sip tasted awful. How could he drink a half of the bottle? I guess adults’ senses are weird. 

Riches-2. Red bean Sherbet

Basic Info:
Red bean sherbet is a snack that was made with crushed ice and red bean syrup that was sweetened with sugar, add milk and sometimes added rice cakes on the top. In the present people add fruits or artificial fruit syrups to enjoy the coolness under hot blazing sun. With all the toppings placed on the top of the crushed ice, you would mix them with spoon and eat. It was another great ice snack along with fruited punch (also known as hwa chae).

History:
The sherbet was actually originated from China where they would chip off ice or get a pile of snow and eat them with honey or fruit juice. This recipe was passed on by Marco Polo to Benicia when he was visiting China. In the west, about in 300 A.D Alexander the Great fed his soldiers who were tried from marching under hot sun. In Korea, ice was very expensive and valuable that only wealthy people could enjoy the treat. Like the idea of eating crushed ice snack from China, the usage of red bean syrup was adopted from Japan, the neighboring country. Japan had been eating red bean soup and to cool it they placed a spoonful of the soup on the snow or ice. That later became the form of red bean sherbet. This shows how neighboring countries affect each other's culture but also the gap between the social classes since only one group could enjoy the privilege.

CCTO:
The red bean syrup is still continued to be used today as the main ingredient. However people seemed to add more and more toppings along the rice cake. I've seen cereal, ice cream, fruits, cookies/biscuits, nuts, and different syrup like chocolate or strawberry. However the continuity is that the #1 snack that people look for during the summer is the red bean sherbet. The knowledge to get rid off the heat of our ancestors is still conserved.

Experience: 
It was just last summer when I had my last spoonful of the red bean sherbet. I went to this shop where they sold traditional red bean sherbet- made up of only crushed ice, red bean syrup and some rice cake. I was very thrilled to try it because I've seen celebrities visiting this very place and complimented the food. As I took a spoonful of the ice, my tongue felt numb because it was cold. However few seconds later I gave up on eating. The syrup was supposed to be sweet but it just tasted like regular red bean, only boiled, no sugar added. If you want to taste sweet and better red bean sherbet I recommend going to Baskin Robins 31 or Paris Bagette during summer. They would have different types of sherbet that even have a scoop of ice cream in it.

Riches- 1. Meat

Basic Info: 

Different types of meat displayed at the butcher shop

Meats have different types, such as beef, pork, duck and chicken. Almost all the parts of the meats are edible and have high calories. However, they produce a large amount of proteins that provides us healthy nutrition. Sometimes eating meat help people to stay healthy. For example, the shanks of the cow provided calcium when it was boiled in a soup (not separating the bone), one part of pork prevents the geriatric disease and the oil that is produced from the duck meat is known as healthy. 

History: 

Only the nobles or any other rich people used to cook meats on burning charcoal fire, spice them with soy sauce, eggs, scallion, garlic and spice. For peasants they had to use animals for farming that the law forbade them from killing them. However the wealthy people sometimes killed the animals without others knowing since they had money which equaled to power. The most valuable and expensive meat was beef. Cows were the main source of farming the land and they did not give birth to many offspring at a time unlike pigs or ducks. Our ancestors ate various parts of the precious animal. Conversely for pork, they only ate parts without the fats. As for the ducks, during the era of 3 kindgoms this particular meat was served to the king. 

By looking their clothing and their hats it is clear that these people are  from the upperclass. 

CCOT:

In the past, pork was considered as most unpopular type of meat. The pigs were fed with left overs of humans, rice bran, barely bran, left over from making tofu etc. However Koreans today look for pork. The most prominent type of pork is "sam gyeb sal" meaning 3 layers of meat- the part where bits of fats would be included between the meats. Koreans find that this particular meat is very savory and chewy. Another change would be when our ancestors cooked the meat they would have used the lid of kettle but today people came up with various other ways to cook pork to add more incense and taste (for example cooking them in a bamboo container).  

Experience: 

I have been to many restaurants that served meat. There were the ones dripping with sauce and the ones nothing added on to them. Personally I prefer the ones that had been dipped into the sauce because the gravy from the meat and the salty sauce becomes perfectly balanced that it's neither salty nor too plain. In meat buffet restaurants they had types of meats that the kids would like- sausages and hamberger steak. I recommend people not to eat those because they only fill up your stomache that you don't get to enjoy other juicy meat that you can only enjoy in Korea. 

Intro- Comparing Rich and Poor

Food is one of the major things that introduces others about a country's culture. However, food does not only tell about the culture, but also gives informations about social structures and economy of the country. Through the guide of traditional Korean foods, it is very easy to recognize the differences and huge gaps between each social class and economic status in the past. The rich had privileges, could afford fancy foods and were well fed while the peasants had to suffer from hunger and were reliant on the sources that the nature provided them. The next posts will introduce the types of meals that Korean ancestors had, their basic information, history, CCOT(change continuity over time) and short journal entry about our experiences with the foods.

 King's Table (Rich)

Peasants' Table (Poor)