环球英语 — 436：Korean Food: Kimchi
Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby Jones. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
‘Kimchi’
Voice 1
What word do you say to smile for a photograph? ‘Cheese?’ ‘Queso?’ ‘Kimchi?’ If you live in Korea, you may well say ‘kimchi!’ The word has the same effect on the mouth as ‘cheese’. It forces a smile! And it is no surprise that Koreans use the word ‘kimchi’ to make them smile! Kimchi is a major part of the Korean diet and culture! In fact, for many people it is a food that they cannot live without! In today’s programme we look at Korea’s most popular food – kimchi!
Voice 2
Local people gather in a busy restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. They order different food and drinks. But all the meals have one thing in common. They all include a side order of kimchi! Austin Kim guides foreign visitors around the city. She described Kimchi like this;
Voice 3
‘This is our ... ‘pot of life’! People have western food. But they still want kimchi.’
Voice 1
So what is kimchi? Usually people make kimchi with some kind of vegetable. The most popular kind of kimchi is made with cabbage. People add other substances to the cabbage. They may add dried seeds and crushed plants – such as ginger, garlic and hot red pepper. One of the most important substances they must add is salt. The right amount of salt will stop bacteria destroying the vegetable! This will help make the cabbage into a kind of ‘pickle.’
Voice 2
‘Pickling’ is an ancient process. It is a way of keeping food fresh for a long period of time. Originally people pickled vegetables so they could eat them all through the year – not only during harvest season. They made their pickles with vegetables and salt. They buried their pickles – such as kimchi – under the earth until they were ready to eat.
Voice 1
Because of modern food storage methods there is not the same need for pickled vegetables in today’s cities! But there is still a strong demand for them – especially in Seoul – and especially for kimchi! Methods have greatly changed since the days of burying containers to make kimchi. Today, people use a kimchi fridge. Yes, there are cooling devices just for storing kimchi! They are among the most wanted items in Seoul. Interested? A kimchi fridge will cost you around eleven hundred [1100] dollars!
Voice 2
So, can you have too much of a good thing when it comes to kimchi? And is kimchi good for the body? Well that depends whom you ask. Clearly, vegetables are a good way of getting healthy substances into the body. Some kimchi lovers even say that it can fight off harmful diseases. But, the high levels of salt mean that too much kimchi could be a bad thing. A diet high in salt increases many health risks. So, will this warning make people eat less kimchi? There are no signs of that yet!
Voice 1
Kimchi is not just about tasty food – healthy or not. It is part of Korean history. Experts believe that people began making kimchi around the seventh century. The farming communities created kimchi to provide vegetables all year round. At that time however, kimchi was really just a salted vegetable. It was not until five centuries later that people started adding tasty seeds and crushed plants. And it was not until the eighteenth century that people began adding the hot red pepper! This gave kimchi the red colour that it often has today. The red pepper also gives kimchi the hot taste – a taste that foreign visitors often struggle with! The nineteenth century saw the introduction of the Chinese cabbage to Korea. Koreans then started to use this vegetable to make kimchi. And so they developed the kimchi that people know and love today.
Voice 2
Today, kimchi is such an important part of Korean culture, that there is a yearly kimchi event. The kimchi festival happens every year in October. It lasts for several days. People travel from all over South Korea to the event – in the city of Gwangju. At the festival, they can compete in kimchi–making. They can see food products on show. They can listen to traditional music and singing. And of course, they can eat lots of kimchi!
Voice 1
If you want to learn more about kimchi’s culture and history, visit the kimchi museum. ‘The Kimchi Field Museum’ is in Seoul. A large food company started the museum in 1986. In the museum, historians have documented almost two hundred [200] different kinds of kimchi! Some kinds include seafood. Others are similar to the Latin American food, ‘ceviche’. At the museum, people can try to make kimchi. And yes, they can also eat it.
Voice 2
Well, if you have been listening carefully, answer this question: ‘What would a Korean astronaut take on a trip to space?’ Yes, kimchi!
Voice 1
In April, 2008, Yi So–Yeon became South Korea’s first person to go to space! She took noodles, a grain bar... and kimchi! The twenty–nine [29] year old spent ten days in space! Here, she performed a series of science tests. The trip was a great success. Ms Yi also commented that she hoped North Koreans would share in her success. She said:
Voice 3
‘I think North Korea is not a different country, because we have the same language and the same customs. I hope some day we will be one.’
Voice 1
Yi So–Yeon is not alone in her hopes. The difficult situation of the divided country has caused much pain and suffering for many years. Can tradition and culture help bring unity? Is there common ground in the deep rooted culture they share?
Voice 2
Kimchi seems to have a deep, unspoken message. In ancient times, the cold rough weather often destroyed the earth’s produce. But it did not destroy the kimchi buried in the earth below. In the same way, conflict has caused deep pain and suffering in Korea. It has even divided the country. Yet it has not destroyed the deep rooted culture and tradition of the Korean people. These remain untouched – like the kimchi buried deep below the earth.
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