#10. Kimchi

For those of you that haven't heard, I have recently accepted admission to the University of Texas to get my MA in Japanese language and literature. This of course means that I'm starting to round out my life here in Korea as I will be returning to the States in July to begin this new part of my life. As of Saturday, I have ten weeks left in "The Land of the Morning Calm", so I thought it might be nice to reminisce about all of the wonderful things I am going to miss when I move back to the states. So once a week for the next ten weeks, I am going to post a little something about Korea that I have loved in my time here.

**Note: these are in no particular order, just a random collection/countdown of favorite things in Korea.

#10. Kimchi

The one thing everyone seems to know about Korea is that they eat kimchi. As you may know, I have a certain love affair with kimchi. When I first tried it in Koreatown in Los Angeles, I thought it was the most terrible tasting food on the planet (and seeing as that includes natto, I think that's pretty bad). I was worried when I came to Korea that I wasn't going to be able to eat anything and that I would starve to death in my first week. I have since learned, however, that the bitter, sour dish I had tried in the States was undeserving to carry the noble title of kimchi. Kimchi in Korea is spicy, full good flavor and vitamins, and that when it is fermenting underground as it should be (instead of on a boat across the Pacific, as is my theory for what they serve in Koreatown) the sour mixed with the peppers and the salted cabbage is actually delicious. This is not to mention all the various ways kimchi can be used in cooking. Kimchi jiggae, kimchi on my galbi, fried kimchi with rice... I've made several omelette with kimchi in them and they've all turned out great. So whatever you may think of the idea of eating fermented cabbage, I wouldn't sneer at it until you've had the good stuff here in Korea. I love it enough that I'm probably going to go through kimchi withdrawal when I get back to Texas....