The Essence of Korean Culture - Research Paper Example

? Kimchi: The Essence Of Korean Culture Number Teacher’s Due Food has been an integral part of human life as it is necessary for living. However, food has crossed the boundaries of biological needs and has become a source of cultural identity. This paper aims to understand the relationship between food and culture through a research into the importance of dish called ‘kimchi,’ in Korean people’s lives. The procedure used for research was to search those books and web-sites that provided information regarding relationship between different cultures and food. It was found that in spite of cultural influence from the West, kimchi is still an inseparable part of Korean lifestyle. Also, Korean people’s love for kimchi is not just limited to the craving of their palate, but has extended to their emotions, mind and core of their being. The research revealed that food is not only the source of nutrients and energy, but is also a source of emotional bonding with one’s family, culture and nation. Introduction Food is one of the most important aspects of human culture. One can understand the core of person’s culture through the food he eats as cultural identity is strongly symbolized in food (Kittler and Sucher 4). Hence, throughout the world, festivals specific to different cultures are celebrated by preparing different dishes. For example, American family prepares Turkey during Thanksgiving. However, the Italian American families combine an Italian dish of Raviolis with Turkeys and Mexican-Americans combine Mexican dish of Tamales with their Turkey (Kittler and Sucher 4). In this way, people follow their own food habits even if they are living in foreign countries. This is because human being learns to affiliate his cultural identity with food right from his childhood (Kittler and Sucher 4). People are emotionally bonded to their culture and their nation through food. Hence, this paper aims at understanding the essence of association between the cultural values and a particular favorite dish. The dish that this paper aims to research is the national favorite of Korean people, known as ‘kimchi.’ Kimchi is not just ‘food’ for Korean people, but it is a symbol of ancestral love, history, culture and family bonding. Hence, kimchi is known to contain not only the nutritional values, but also the spirit and essence of Koreans, and hence, is an inseparable part of Korean culture. History Kimchi is part of Korean people’s lives and culture since immemorial times. The historical references to early forms of kimchi can be traced back to year 681 CE, when kimchi was served as a part of great wedding feast held by king Shunmun, who ruled the country between 681 to 691CE (Gannon and Pillai 126). However, it is understood that kimchi was created by Koreans out of necessity due to environmental and social situations (Gannon and Pillai 126). Due to lack of natural resources, it was difficult for a small country like Korea to grow fresh vegetables during winter season (Gannon and Pillai 126). Moreover, growing vegetables was also more difficult because the winters are very long in Korea (Gannon and Pillai 126). Hence, the Korean families used to gather the vegetable resources for winter by spending weeks in harvesting crops during the fall season (Gannon and Pillai 127). To ensure the adequate provision of vegetables for the family in the winter season, Korean people used to pickle the vegetables in salt solution, with additional spices added for taste, in order to ferment the vegetables and preserve them for consumption during the winter (Gannon and Pillai 127). This process of fermentation ensured food for family for whole year and helped them from starving in the winter season (Gannon and Pillai 127). The fermented vegetables came to be known as ‘Kimchi’. However, in the ancient times, the kimchi was made only by immersing vegetables in salt solution ("Korean Kimchi” n.d.). People started adding spices to their kimchi from around 12th century ("Korean Kimchi” n.d.). Moreover, as chilies arrived in Korea from America in 18th century, it was only from that time period that people started adding chilies to their kimchi ("Korean Kimchi” n.d.). Hence, it was only from last five hundred years that kimchi is being made spicy and hot ("Korean Kimchi” n.d.). Also, it was from the 19th century that modern form of kimchi, made with cabbages, is being produced ("Korean Kimchi” n.d.). In this way, kimchi was created in Korea and became an integral part of their culture and daily lives. Ingredients like “Chinese cabbage, sea salt, crushed red chili, radish, chopped ginger, garlic, and green onions” are used in making kimchi (Gannon and Pillai 127). Today, ready-made kimchi stored in jars and cans is found in market and most of the Koreans buy it ready made (Gannon and Pillai 127). However, the practice of making kimchi at home has not died. Even though fresh vegetables are available in market all year round, the ancient and ancestral practice of fermenting vegetables for preparing kimchi for winter season is still alive in Korean homes (Gannon and Pillai 127). This is because kimchi is not just food for Koreans, but is a symbol of their tradition and their past. The intensity of importance of Kimchi in Korean culture is evident from the fact that in the capital city of Seoul, a museum is dedicated only to kimchi (Gannon and Pillai 127). Kimchi is the most popular dish in Korea other than the steamed rice (Gannon and Pillai 126). The word kimchi is derived from Chinese language, and it means “immersing vegetables in a salt solution,” when translated in English (Gannon and Pillai 126). Essence of kimchi One finds the combination of opposites like hot and cool, spicy and mild etc. in Korean meals (Lee 18). The balance of yin and yang is aimed by Korean people while preparing food (Lee 18). Rice, which is known as ‘bap’ in Korean, is the core of every Korean meal (Lee 18). However, what really plays an essential role in Korean food is the ‘kimchi’. Korean meal is never completed without having kimchi (Lee 19). Depending on the season, there are two to three kinds of kimchi served with the meal (Lee 19). If not, then at least one type of kimchi is always found on dining tables in Korean homes (Lee 19). Kimchi is so common in Korea that a bowl of rice and some kimchi is all that it takes to satisfy and content any Korean person when hungry (Lee 19). Kimchi is used as a side dish during the meals (Lee 19). Usually, as it is meant to be shared by everyone, kimchi is laid out in the middle of the table like rest of the food (Lee 19). However, kimchi is not limited only to its role of side dish. It is also used as a basic ingredient in preparing many other dishes (Lee 19). Some of the dishes prepared with kimchi are “kimchi bapkeum bap” (fried rice with kimchi), kimchi jjigae (hot pot of kimchi, tofu and vegetables), kimchi mandu (kimchi dumplings), kimchi ramen (kimchi with noodles) etc (Lee 19). The list of different varieties of kimchi that Korean people enjoy is exhaustive and interesting (Lee 19). Korean people’s love for kimchi can be understood from the fact that to keep their kimchi fresh, many homes in Korea have separate refrigerators which are especially used to store their kimchi (Lee 19). It is also interesting to know that instead of saying ‘cheese’ while taking photos, the Koreans say ‘kimchi’ (Lee 19). This shows how the dish of kimchi has become an integral part of Korean people’s lives. Hence, even with the influence of Western culture on young Korean people, kimchi has still managed to keep its place intact in the heart of Koreans. Research on Korean and Korean-American adolescents in the U.S. has revealed that Korean-American adolescents prefer soft-drinks and cookies to rice and kimchi (Kittler and Sucher 353). Even a study in Korea revealed that 70 percent of adolescents like adding breads, noodles and pizzas to their meals of rice and kimchi (Kittler and Sucher 354). However, this does not mean that importance of kimchi has decreased in life of Korean people. Park Chae-lin (2006), the curator of the Kimchi Museum, while explaining the importance of kimchi, said that he thinks “kimchi practically defines the Korean-ness” (Gannon and Pillai 125). In one of his personal communication (2002), a Korean professor of economics has stated that he was not aware of the importance of kimchi and the deep feelings that it creates in him, until he was deprived of it during his stay in the United States (Gannon and Pillai 125). He said that as a child and young man, he used to run to McDonald’s whenever possible as he hated to eat kimchi (Gannon and Pillai 125). However, when he came to the U.S., he realized how deeply the kimchi was rooted in his mind and soul and hence, he used to travel several hundred miles on weekend just to go to a restaurant that served kimchi (Gannon and Pillai 125). Kimchi is so important in Korean culture that even young people, who are getting used to Western food, cannot live without it and suffer from bouts of craving if they are deprived of it. Korean culture is represented in kimchi in the same way as the culture of United States is represented in hamburger (Gannon and Pillai 126). Thousands of foreigners were introduced to kimchi for the first time during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul (“Kimchi” n.d.). Moreover, the health benefits of kimchi has also helped in increasing its popularity. Health benefits Kimchi is considered to be extremely healthy due to its nutritional benefits ("Korean Kimchi” n.d.). Kimchi helps in keeping the digestive system healthy and strong as it contains high amount of vitamin C, calcium and lactic bacterium ("Korean Kimchi” n.d.). It also helps in preventing infections in human beings as it contains antibiotic substances ("Korean Kimchi” n.d.). Due to its low calorie and low cholesterol content, kimchi is considered very nutritious and healthy (Brown Ju and Brown John 153). Also, high level protein, fiber and iron, which are derived from kimchi due to addition of sea food, make it very nutritious for human health (Brown Ju and Brown John 153). Kinds of kimchi Kimchi is so popular in Korea that there are nearly 167 different varieties of kimchi made by Korean people (Lee 19). Due to the huge range of varieties in kimchi, one can find kimchi in different colors and flavors (Marshall Cavendish 932). The most popular variety of kimchi is made from fermented cabbage, and is spicy in flavor (Lee 19). Kimchi is of two kinds, i.e. seasonal and winter (Brown Ju and Brown John 153). Various varieties are found in both kinds of kimchi (Brown Ju and Brown John 153). While the seasonal kimchi is made with seasonal vegetables and meant for short storage, the winter kimchi is made mostly with cabbage and radish and is meant for long-term storage (Brown Ju and Brown John 153). The winter kimchi serves the purpose of providing vegetables during cold winter months to Korean people (Brown Ju and Brown John 153). “Have you finished kimjang (winter kimchi preparation)?” is the traditional and common way of greeting of Korean people before the beginning of winter season (Brown Ju and Brown John 153). To control the climate, Koreans used to follow a traditional practice of burying the crocks filled with kimchi in the ground (Brown Ju and Brown John 153). However, now in the modern times, Korean people living in high rise buildings use specially designed kimchi refrigerators for storage (Brown Ju and Brown John 153). According to Lee (1991), it is only for Korea that the product of ‘kimchi refrigerators’ are produced (Webster, Lambert and Bezuidenhout 23). This shows that no matter how modern or advanced the Korean people become, kimchi will always remain an important part of their lives and culture. Conclusion The research on the Korean dish of kimchi reveals that food is one of the most important sources of cultural identity. Even under the influence of Western culture, kimchi is still revered by Koreans as symbol of their ancestors, history and culture and, is still an inseparable part of their lives. Hence, kimchi cannot be considered as just ‘food’ because along with the nutrients, it also contains the spirit and essence of Korea, and is a symbol of love and family bonding between Korean people. Work Cited Brown, Ju and John Brown. China, Japan, Korea: Culture and Customs. North Charleston: BookSurge LLC., 2006. Print. Gannon, Martin And Rajnandini Pillai. Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys Through 29 Nations, Clusters Of Nations, Continents And Diversity. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc, 2010. Print “Kimchi.” Lifeinkorea.com. n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/kimchi/kimchi.cfm Kittler, Pamela and Kathryn Sucher. Food And Culture.5th ed. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008.Print. "Korean Kimchi (or Kimchee in Korea)." seoulkoreaasia.com. Seaoulkoreaasia, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. http://www.seoulkoreaasia.com/kimchi-kimchee.htm Lee, Cecilia. Frommer’s South Korea, 2nd ed. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, 2010. Print. Marshall Cavendish Corporation. World And Its People: Korea. Terrytown, Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2008. Print. Webster, Edward, Lambert, Rob and Andries Bezuidenhout. Grounding globalization: labour in the age of insecurity. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2008. Read More