Kimchi Mamas

Holiday Cooking

When I was growing up, I always associated holidays with cooking.  Even when my parents were working 13 hour days, six days a week, my mom always took the time to cook a few special dishes for the holidays. 

When my sister and I were in college, we would always go to my parents' dry cleaners on the day before the holiday, sometimes for the whole day but more often, just for the afternoon.  We would walk about 45 minutes from my parents' house to the LIRR station in Port Washington, and ride to Little Neck.  From the Little Neck station, we would either walk or my dad would come pick us up to take us to Mayflower Cleaners, located where Northern Boulevard meets Great Neck Boulevard.  There, we would help my parents finish up their labor for the day: handling customers as they came in, sorting the clothes, removing the lint from each of the items, bagging the clothes in plastic, putting them on the conveyor belt, restocking all the supplies for the next work day, vacuuming, and wiping down the counters.

A Korean Thanksgiving

How does a 1st generation Korean family do Thanksgiving? I remember the first few times, my parents and I quizzically poking at dry cafeteria turkey breast and grimacing at the new herb flavors in the stuffing.  I remember my uncle good-naturedly trying to swallow down mashed potatoes on his first Thanksgiving with us, then eventually caving in and asking for some kimchi to go with it.  

However, as the years passed and the more America we absorbed, we learned to adore this holiday and its feasting.  And we have blended it with some Korean favorites, which actually go really well with the more traditional dishes.

Kimchi instead of cranberry sauce...

Kimchi fried rice (try it with gravy on top)...

Korean moonshine made from backyard grapes and soju...

Three generations of silly, brilliant people

What are some elements of your own Korean American Thanksgiving?  Let us know in the comments below!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy mother's day to all the Kimchi Mamas out there! May your day be filled with laughter, joy, hugs, smiles . . . and of course, kimchi!

 

-Angie in Texas will be celebrating with her Kimchi Mama with . . . kimchi!

Happy International Women's Day!

Hey Kimchi Mamas!  

Did you know that we have our own day?  Here are some tips from World Vision on how to commemorate this special day.

1. Save a woman’s life in child birth: 
Did you know that in countries like Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, and Bolivia, having a baby is one of the most dangerous things a woman can do? By helping train local midwives in remote communities, you could save a life. Visit StrongWomenStrongWorld.org to learn more.

2. Mentor a girl close to home: 
A growing poverty rate, poor-performing schools, and teen violence make it tough to be a girl growing up here in our own country. Reach out and influence the life of a young girl in your own community by volunteering as a tutor or mentor. Get connected at BBBS.org.

3. Use your voice to stop trafficking: 
Human trafficking and sexual exploitation affects girls and women in horrific ways all around the world, but the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in the US Senate can help end the practice. Contact your Senators and ask them to renew this bill to protect women and girls, both here in the US and around the world.

4. Invest in a small business owner: 
Websites like WorldVisionMicro.org or Kiva.org connect you to hardworking women entrepreneurs, waiting to realize their dream of a dressmaking business, chicken farm, or food stall that will help them provide for their family. Even better, when the loan is paid off, your donated funds are loaned out again and again to make a bigger impact.

5. Provide the ticket to education—clean water: 
One of the most common reasons girls in poor communities miss schooling is the lack of clean water in their village. Millions of girls and women spend several hours each day fetching water—often dirty and dangerous to their health—instead of attending school. Give the gift of clean water, and open the door to education for a young girl.

6. Band together with like-minded women: 
Whatever your passion for helping other women, you’ll do it better—and have more fun doing it—with other women excited about the same cause. National movements like Women of Vision can connect you to a network of resources while allowing you to grow your own local group of women who want to make the world better for girls and their mothers.

7. Tell the women in your life that you care: 
Empowering women starts right in our families, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Celebrate this International Women’s Day by writing a note of thanks to that teacher who encouraged you years ago, picking up coffee for that new mom in your office who’s struggling to balance it all, or telling your own sister, daughter, or mother how much you appreciate them.

###

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

 

Black Day

In Korea, Valentine's Day is celebrated a little bit different. On February 14th, the women give gifts to their significant others. Only the women do the giving on this day. March 14th, called White Day, is when men give gifts to their significant others. Leave it to the Koreans to separate everything based on gender.

And the coolest day? It's Black Day. On April 14th, those who are single get together to eat 짜장면 jajangmyeon or noodles with black bean sauce.

I kind of like this idea. Even though I'm married, I like any excuse to eat 짜장면, even though it's like 1500 calories. No wonder it tastes so good. It tastes amazing with a dash of red pepper flakes and pickled daikon with vinegar.

Random tidbit: I love this Korean song and it references 짜장면.

 

Hoping you had a good Valentine's Day.

- Mary

Happy New Year

It's the Solar New Year!

I hope everyone had a restful time off and spent lots of time enjoying their families... although I gotta say that taking care of both kids all day is way harder than being at work. Even if one of them looks this cute:



Anyway, anyone got resolutions for the new year?

I'm not one to make resolutions (anymore, since I never seem to be able to keep them) but I have one word themes for the entire year. The simplicity of one word seems to work for me. My word for this year is humility. I hope the lessons aren't TOO painful. Humble pie can taste rather bitter some times.

My word last year was love. I feel like I still have no clue what love is all about, but I think in some strange way, it helped me to show love to my kids more intentionally.

Oh, did ya'll eat ttuk gook? 떡국? I swear, it's the easiest meal and we probably eat it at least once a month. Leftover rotissarie chicken carcass makes the best soup base too!

- Brought to you by, ramblin' Mary

Giveaway!

The Holiday Season is upon us and we, the Kimchi Mamas, are caught up in the Spirit of Giving!  I was out the other day doing some Christmas shopping at a Korean Toy store when I came upon these pretty Hanbok dressed Fashion Mimi dolls (the equivalent of B.arbie dolls here in Korea.)

These two are especially for YOU, our readers!  We will be picking two lucky winners from the comments section below and I will be sending them off personally all the way from the motherland.  How do you get yourself one of these beautiful dolls?  Just comment in the section below what you think this store (sign pictured below) in Korea might be selling:

You will be entered to win a doll just by commenting whether your answer is right or wrong.  Two winners will be chosen randomly from the comments left in exactly one week, on 12/6/11.  The answer to what the store actually sells and the winners will be announced on the 7th.  Happy guessing!

How to Trick or Treat

I know I am late getting this out, but even on the East Coast, this may not be too late.  I was speaking to an coworker whose family had moved here from elsewhere in the world.  They've been here a few years, and each year I asked if they were taking their son trick-or-treating.  The mom wondered if he wasn't getting too old anyway, as he was already 8 years old.

Heck, back East, I remember trick-or-treating well into high school, but I've heard some parents on the west coast cut their kids off at middle school.  And I do, as a homeowner, find it odd when roving gangs of teenage boys taller than I am ring the bell after 9pm still looking for candy.  ("Get a job!")

But 8?  That's still in the heart of the age of trick-or-treat.  My kids are beside themselves anticipating the candy binge that begins on this last day of October, to continue through the Christmas holidays.

Anyway, talking with my friend, I realized it might be a little intimidating to join in this all-American holiday tradition if you did not grow up with it, so I wrote up some pointers for her.  I am publishing here for new Kimchi Mamas who may not be familiar with how this all works if you are new to the holiday.  Everyday stuff that most American/Canadian parents take for granted:

• When to go?  Between dusk and 8pm.  After 8pm is older kids/teenagers
• Where?      A neighborhood of homes.  Skip apartment or condo complexes--they don't get much traffic, and are usually not prepared.  And you do not have to live in the neighborhood--any child in costume is welcome.
• What equipment?  Costume of course, bag to hold candy, and a flashlight is a good idea.
• Which houses?  Porchlights on, and halloween decorations are a good sign.  Skip if the house looks dark.
• Does the parent go with them?  Usually yes, especially children under 10.  You can stay on the sidewalk, or go with them up to the house.  The key is your child should be in front, facing the door when the it opens.
• What happens next?  Child should say loud and clear "Trick or Treat!" and open their bag.  Parents do not need to speak.  The person who answers the door may ask your child what their costume is, so prepare them for that.  They may drop in candy or offer a bowl the child can pull candy out of.  I remind my kids to say Thank You, before they run to the next house to pillage.
• What else might happen? Some adults get into Halloween and try to scare the kids a little, so beware of that--if the house looks too scary, skip it.
• How many houses should we go to?  As many as you or your child have stamina for.  
• What do we do when we get home?  Inspect candy for opened or unwrapped--toss these.  Remove anything that your family is allergic to.  And your call on how much candy to let them eat.  At our house, we dole it out over the coming weeks.

Happy Halloween everyone!

--Jomama

Happy Children's Day!

The school halls and classrooms are empty here in Korea.  Well, all of them except the American schools on bases, that is.  Jun still went off on his school bus today- all regular like- with promises of fun when he got back.  But he was ok with that.  Probably because he has no idea that the Korean kids around him have today off.

Growing up in America I heard about Children's day but I didn't actually experience it.  In Hawaii we had May Day on May 1st with lots of elaborate Hawaiian hula pageants and flower leis.  And since the Japanese culture is pretty dominant, that meant May 5th was Boy's day.  At school we had little class parties where the boys got served first and the girls had to put the boys chairs up on their desks at the end of the day for them and let them get lunch first or something.  (Incidentally, I think in Japan it is now Children's day in May 5th too and this tradition of just it being Boy's day is old?  I think.  But in Hawaii it's still pretty separated between Boy's and Girl's day.)  At home, my parents would mention something about Children's day in Korea, but gifts never appeared and we never went out even for dinner or anything so it always sort of passed as one of those bits of information they threw at you about your culture that you never really grasped.  Or at least that's how it was for me.  I think that's how it is a lot with Konglish life.  You can't experience a 100% of both cultures, but when you miss something you really don't know that you are.  So it's interesting to finally be here to see what it is I've been missing.

You know what?  It's a big deal.

The kids get a day off from school.  Which means that the parents schedule to take off from work as it's also an age in korea when there are more and more two income families.  Which means that there are a lot of businesses today either closed down or running low staffed.  Requirements of the day are to spoil your child rotten.  They get gifts and treats and taken out for a day of pure fun.   Apparently the gifts and treats can come from anyone.  Gracie and I just returned from picking up a carton of eggs at our local market where the cashier gave my very excited little girl a plastic bag full of candies, packets of cookies and sweet yogurt drinks.  Lots of admission prices for various amusement parks and similar places are waived today.  That means a lot of Kimbaps are being packed (along with Choco pies and Pororo drinks) as I type this in anticipation of a day of fun at whatever fun place the child chooses.  You can bet that nobody in this family will be going anywhere near any of these places anytime today.  We will be staying far far away from the madness.  I shudder to think of the lines and crowds.

Not that Children's day will pass quietly this year for our family.  I do admit we are getting swept up in the excitement.  I want it to be different for my kids than it was for me.  I still like that they can celebrate how other cultures celebrate things in May (and isn't it interesting how all of these fun things fall in May?  there's Cinco de Mayo too!) but we have this cool one that's our own all this time.  When I explained what the day was for, Jun, whose behaviors sometimes overshadows his accomplishments, puffed up and said "I'm a children!  The day is for me!"

When Jun gets home today we will celebrate their childhood.  There will be gifts for him and Gracie.  Books mostly.  Hardback ones to fill out their library.  Then we will probably gorge on video games for him and play some beauty shop for her and then eat a dinner of their choice.  Probably keem and rice with chocolate milk (I never understood how they could stomach this combo!)  But before dinner, a prayer of thanks for these lovely children who fill this home and our lives with such love and joy. 

 

 

A wish for all our Kimchi children today:  May they grow healthy and strong into compassionate people who change the world for the better. 

- jooliyah who will be playing a mario game on the wii and getting her toenail painted by a three year old in a few hours after writing this.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Sigh...Kim Yu-Na is adorable, isn't she? (photo by leon_fan)

 

Just a little note to say "Hoppy" Year of the Rabbit!

Anyone out there celebrate this New Year more than the Gregorian calendar New Year?  For my family, we do our sae bae and mandoo guk on January 1, but now that I learned that the solar New Year was brought over from Japan during the occupation, I may switch!  But I'm nationalistic to a fault, so don't mind me.  :)

Regardless, happy year to all you Wascally Wabbits out there!

--Julie

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR HANBOK WINNERS!

I randomly picked two numbers and the winners should have received their hanboks by now.  If y'all take pictures, we'll be happy to feature them on the blog!

Claudia won the size 2 girls hanbok

and

Nicole won the size 6 girls hanbok!