You may notice quite a few homeless people around Seoul Station. A lot of visitors ask me, “Why are there so many homeless people here?” One of the biggest reasons goes back to 1997, during the Asian Financial Crisis. In Korea, we usually call it the IMF Crisis . A lot of companies went bankrupt, unemployment rose very quickly, and many people suddenly lost their jobs and income. Some people eventually lost their homes as well. And many of them came to Seoul Station . Why here? Because this was one of the main places to find day labor and temporary jobs , and it was also the main railway station if they wanted to go back to their hometowns. But some had no money left and nowhere else to go, so they stayed around the station. That is one reason Seoul Station became one of the main gathering places for homeless people after the 1997 crisis. Then another thing happened. Once many homeless people were here, churches, charities, NGOs, and the government started providing help here. Th...
Kimjang
Kimjang means Korean culture of making kimchi in late fall for the winter. It has been listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. Just before winter Koreans would make large amounts of kimchi and store it underground for fermentation. On kimjang days which is making kimchi, all the neighborhood people come together to prepare an immense amount of kimchi that will last through the winter and share it amongst each other.
Why do we make kimchi a lot?
We make kimchi a lot since enough has to be made for the entire family to eat every meal during the winter. Kimchi enjoyed year-round on Korean tables. In the past, the only side dish people had to eat for 8 to 9 months was kimchi. That's why people used to spend 3-4 months of wages to make that much kimchi. Nowadays, it's difficult to do kimjang in the city. it's easier and cheaper to just buy kimchi.
How to store the kimchi longer.
In the past, Koreans preserved their kimchi in earthen jars buried underground to store. but since the 1970s apartments have become popular residential spaces. Everyone began to live in apartments and kimjang culture changed along with the change in living spaces and lifestyles. Aged kimchi which has been fermented for a while and the fermentation process requires you to control time and temperature.
Nowadays, Korean people use a kimchi fridge to store the kimchi longer but actually, Kimchi jar (=the earthenware clay jars) was buried underground.
History of Kimchi.
Kimchi began in the three kingdoms period (57 BC-901AD) with salted vegetables then evolved to salted radish (무 짱아치). Before becoming watery kimchi is made by pouring saltwater over fresh vegetables. With the introduction of spices like chili peppers and garlic during the Japanese invasion, kimchi gained its modern form.
What's the nutritional value of the Kimchi?
Lactic acid bacteria proliferate slowly in the cold, the fresh kimchi goes through fermentation to become tangy and sour aged kimchi. Fresh vegetables are stored for a long time .
To make kimchi you must first prepare basic ingredients. Korean kimchi is the full package that boosts the immune system and helps the body stand up to the stress of everyday life.
Nappa cabbage- Anti-carcinogenic, lower the blood cholesterol level.
Red pepper powder- Anti-carcinogenic, anti-oxidizing, energy-boosting effects
garlic- Anti-carcinogenic effect, prevents lifestyle diseases, boosts the immune system
ginger- Anti-bacterial effect, prevents lifestyle disease
A few years ago when the SARS epidemic broke out the global press took note of Korean kimchi. They reported that kimchi protected Koreans from SARS and avian flu and lowered the incidence of obesity and lifestyle diseases as well.
Various kinds of Kimchi.
There's an enormous variety of kimchi and there are several reasons geographically, Are you in the north or in the south, or are you an inland region or costal region seasonally kimchi changes by the household
In Seoul and Gyeonggi province historically, home to royalty and aristocrats, kimchi was luxurious, in Chung Cheong province kimchi was simpler emphasizing the original flavors of the ingredients and Gangwon province near the sea preferred refreshing kimchi made with seafood, and in Gyungsang province kimchi made spicy and salty with plenty of red pepper powder and salt. Jolla province where savory kimchi was made using pickled ingredients.
갓 김치 Gat kimchi (Leaf mustard kimchi)
총각김치 Chonggak kimchi (young radish kimchi)
얼갈이 김치 (winter-grown cabbage kimchi)
