tofuwatch.com

South Korea’s kimchi “master” takes odor out of dish. Wasn’t that part of the fun?

 

I just bought a jar of hot American-made kimchi. I enjoy eating the spicy, pickled cabbage, particularly when it’s kimchi tofu.

So, this Los Angeles Times story certainly resonated with me.

Get this: South Korea’s first kimchi “master” Kim Soon-ja reportedly has succeeded in making the garlicky aroma disappear from the centuries-old food.

Reporter Ju-min Park explains that Kim has invented a way to freeze-dry the kimchi and that adding water produces no pungent odor.

But, yes, yes. Let’s say it. We need to say it: Wait!

Isn’t the garlicky, you-definitely-know-that-is-kimchi smell one of the main joys of dining on the pickled cabbage?

On a brutally-cold, winter night, you know the garlic and chili are working in your favor.

It strikes me as being similar to entering a quality coffee shop and not smelling that distinctive aroma.

Or trying to get a sense of a wine’s bouquet and not picking up anything.

Or going to a Chinese or an Asian restaurant and not seeing high flames at the stove.

Or isn’t it similar to going to cold parts of Asia, such as Northern China, and people don’t offer you raw cloves of garlic to eat with your noodles?

Or going to a Korean restaurant, such as ones in Beijing, and sitting in front of a grill at your table, cooking meat and walking out and thinking: Man, I smell like smoke but that was fun.

(Note: It’s probably not a good idea to bring babies or young kids to these places.)

I might be in the minority on this topic of kimchi.

Kim told Park that she has brought kimchi with her when she travels, including Europe:

My tour guide asked me not to take out my kimchi in public because it can be distasteful to foreigners.

Also, South Korean leaders apparently are pushing to get the country’s cuisine ranked as one of the world’s most five popular within eight years.

Noted Park:

Kimchi’s odor has always been a stumbling block. According to a survey by the Seoul-based Corea Image Communication Institute, the unique smell of Korean food is the biggest barrier to globalizing the cuisine. 

South Korean families are so aware of the smell that they apparently have separate refrigerators to store the food, Park wrote.

I’m such a fan of kimchi that visiting the Kimchi Museum in South Korea really sounds intriguing.

Years ago, when I went to Seoul for my friend’s wedding, I even dined on kimchi fried rice. I thought: Delicious. This is something I can make at home.

My wife makes kimchi at home and we love it.

It just seems like there’s a large emphasis these days to buy organic food or things that are genuine and natural.

You know, skip all that processed food that leaves you thirsty in minutes.

Yes, the odiferous version of kimchi is the real thing.

As in: A rose is a rose is a rose.

When I eat food with lots of garlic, such as kimchi, I often do two things: I either make sure everyone else at the table is eating copious amounts of the same dish. Or I quickly give the people around me adequate distance once the meal is over.

Another reason why I like this article is because Park is a bureau assistant for the newspaper in Seoul.

As a former editorial assistant and researcher, I know the sense of achievement of putting other duties on hold, reporting a story and seeing it appear as a finished product.

Back in 2002, I wrote about aroma and what the human nose picks up.

I quoted key information from researchers at the University of Washington’s Medical School and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center:

The nose

can detect about 10,000 odors….And our honkers have lots of receptor genes – apparently between 360 to 1,000 of them. After molecules enter our nostrils, they hit these genes, which in turn send electrical impulses – or messages – to our brains.

If you’re looking for kimchi recipes (smelly version), KoreanHomeCooking – a site that I like visiting – offers up many, including a rice patty, fried rice and pancake.

Of course: What are your thoughts on odorless kimchi?