I am taking Korean language classes at the Pine Tree community center in Meagum. These classes are free to foreigners living in Korea, and I am deeply grateful for this program. They do other things at the community center including classes for small children and meals for elderly Koreans.
Last Saturday, our class was invited to help make kimchi for those in need at the Buddhist temple associated with the community center. It was an amazing experience that will not be easily forgotten, nor will the stains on my jacket! Let’s just say I dove in enthusiastically.
We met at the center Saturday morning. I was with my friend Sapura and we were welcomed into a room by several other students from the more advanced classes. We struggled to introduce ourselves to the other women who were from Viet Nam and China. One of them was from Kurdistan so Sapura could talk to her in Russian. Soon we were joined by Navia and Rashmi from our beginning Korean class who are lovely people and much more confident than I in basic communication in Korean. Everyone was very patient with me especially when they learned that Sapura and I have only been in the country for about 4 months. They even complimented me on how well I said “I am going to the bathroom” before our bus left for the temple.
We arrived at a large building that looked like a warehouse with rows of plastic chairs and ten large tables set up as stations around the room. We were immediately offered soup and tea. I was not really interested because I had already eaten breakfast and was handed tea as soon as I entered the community center, but I was offered food many times before we got started. The hospitality was impressive. Finally it was time to get started.
We were all given large aprons, orange gloves, and face masks. We were styling. Most of the people helping us don our uniforms spoke little or no English, but they were not the least bit shy about just throwing an apron over my head in response to my vacant “I have no clue” look. Of course Sapura, Navia and Rashmi know that I can’t see much so they helped me a lot.
We all lined up at tables with three people to a table with about 40 Korean cabbages neatly stacked across from us. Within a few minutes, people came to each table with a huge bag of already prepared Kimchi paste and poured it out on the table and spread it around. Each of us grabbed one of the long cabbages and were shown how to spread the sauce in between each leaf of the cabbage until every bit of every leaf was covered with the sauce.
No cabbages were killed in the making of this blog post...
We were hoping that we would be taught how to make the sauce as well, but I think this was impossible because it is a long and labor intensive process.I don’t know everything that was in the bright red sauce, but it included chilies, chili powder, garlic, onion, anchovies, fish sauce, and other mysterious ingredients pulverized into a bright red goo. I did not get a chance to taste it but I am assuming that it is really spicy.
Every once in a while we were given more cabbages and our puddles of sauce were replenished. Frequently a kindly Korean Ajumma would grab my cabbage and point out a place I had missed. I may have failed cabbage gooing 101 but everyone was nice about it.
After a while we were offered tea again and after declining for the third time I relented. The problem was that I had to pull my mask down to drink tea so afterwards my mask was also a mess and I probably looked like I was trying to lick the sauce off the table. Note to self, next time take the rubber gloves off first.
We were given squid pancakes for lunch. Don’t knock them until you try them unless like Rashmi you are a vegetarian in which case you were shit out of luck lunchwise.
Here is how the event was covered by the local media. My friends and I make a cameo at the end.
We worked for a few more hours and at one point the local newspaper came to take pictures and interview the foreigners making Kimchee. I have attached the interview Rashmi gave to the newspaper. I think her Korean is really pretty good even though she has been in the country for less than two years and yes, she is way too gracious to have complained about the squid pancakes
After we finished cleaning up to the best of our abilities, we were taken up to the temple to be fed yet again. Navia knew the way and led us on an elevator and I was shocked to suddenly see this beautiful modern temple. We were fed buffet style, great food but no Kimchee, although we could see stacks of more cabbages being prepared. To the side of our tables there were women sitting on the floor stirring bowls about 4 feet across of - you guessed it, red kimchee sauce. I would have loved to take a picture of them, they looked so graceful, but we decided it would be rude in the temple.
On Tuesday when we went to class the whole community center smelled of fermenting Kimchi. Many Koreans have separate designated kimchi refrigerators that they use all winter . I am not sure if the seniors were being fed or the kimchi was being distributed or both, but the place reeked. . . I think the Koreans know that it smells bad but do not mind too much because it sustains them all year. Also, it is supposed to be very healthy. Personally, I like kimchi but I will never look at it without thinking of the food bank production line.
Happy Thanksgiving, and support your local foodbank!
Jen
The end result: large boxes of kimchi ready for distribution
