Author: Jessica Lee

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Noodles in China and Korea: Compare and Contrast of Noodles in China and in Korea

Abstract 

            Noodle is a food. Noodle can be long or short. Noodle can be fried or boiled. Noodle may symbolize the unity in a group of people. Noodle has history. Noodle encompasses different philosophies. Noodles in different regions and to different people have different meanings, tastes and symbolisms. With a history of over four thousand years, both Chinese and Korean noodles are a significant part of both cultures. This paper delves into the similarities and differences between Chinese and Korean noodles: how noodles from two different countries have similar traditional and cultural meanings and how they are developed under different cultural philosophy and history.

Introduction

Noodle is defined as “a food in the form of long, thin strips made from flour or rice, water, and often egg, cooked in boiling liquid” by Cambridge dictionary. Yet in a Merriam-Webster dictionary, it is defined as “a food paste made usually with egg and shaped typically in ribbon form”. Like so, noodle has different meanings to different people. Different noodles are made by different ingredients, have different shapes, different tastes, and different meanings associated to each and every one of them.

Chinese and Korean noodles have different tastes, kinds and shapes. Also, different cultural significance resides in two different kinds of noodles. The main difference between noodles from China and from Korea is that while Chinese noodle developed under the Yin and Yang philosophy, Korean noodles pays more attention to the methods of making them. Yet, there are also similarities between Chinese and Korean noodles. The fact that noodles are used as a material to form unity between people is common in both Chinese and Korean noodles. Also, one biggest commonality that can be noticed in Chinese and Korean noodle is that noodles are associated different meanings and background stories.  

Noodles in China

[Concept of Unity in Chinese Food]

With over four thousand years of history, Chinese noodles have more than two thousand different kinds of cooking methods. There are numerous different kinds of Chinese noodles. Because China is very big in region and noodles have developed over a very long period of time, there are different styles of food in different parts of China. Such differences originated from the geological differences and the difference grew as people in different regions started to develop their own styles of living. For example, Sichuan noodles regards flavor as its foundation as they encompass different flavors including spicy, sweet, tingy, bitter and salty. Shandong cuisines are mostly from Ming and Qing dynasty, and are known for salty flavor and a rather crispy texture. [1]

Yet, one commonality that resides in all noodles is that their intention is to bring unity in people. Chinese noodle is not just about the food itself but encompasses a deeper meaning to it. Chinese people “stress the aesthetics of food, and the elegance of the dining environment.”[2] They value the idea of eating together – especially with family members. Shared dining, to Chinese people is their characteristics. For example, “Bao”[3] a computer-animated short film produced by Pixar Animation Studios points out the significance Chinese people put in the practice of family members eating all together. The story is set in Toronto, Canada, a Chinese immigrant woman relives motherhood when one of her handmade dumplings, “Bao” comes to life. Eventually, he desires independence from his mother.  When “Bao” tries to move out, the mother eats him. After, the mother is crying in bed and her real son enters the room holding treats she used to give him as a child.  Then, after sharing an emotional moment, whole family is then seen together in the kitchen, with the son’s new fiancée, happily making bao together. Through the conflict between differnt cultures, this story signifies the importance of family eating together in Chinese tradition.

[Yin and Yang Philosophy in Chinese Noodles]

Along with the idea that family members should eat together, noodle itself in China also has a very unique meaning. To Chinese people, food is not just a method that Chinese people gain energy from. It is more than just what they consume. Chinese people consider food as something much more. For example, the traditional Chinese principle of Yin and Yang can also be found in Chinese food. Yang foods are usually sweet, spicy and tend to have warm colors like red or orange. They often are dry. Thus, Yang foods are often fried or roasted. Whereas, Yin foods are salty and bitter and moister. Yin Foods are often boiled or steamed. Chinese people believe maintaining the balance of Yin and Yang is very important in order to stay healthy.[4] Ideas and believes Chinese people have about food originates very much from their culture and history. Here, Chinese noodles are also considered medicine. Chinese people believe that “bitterness can release heat in body, improve vision and detoxify the body.” [5] Flavors and tastes of Chinese noodles reflects its culture and tradition as they are developed according to the Yin and Yang theory.

[Chinese Noodles and its Meanings]

Chinese noodles also hold a significant amount of cultural value, believes and identity. They have interesting meaning and background stories associated with each. For example, “Yi mian” also known as the “E-fu mian” is one food that had a strong sense of Chinese culture. Yi- mian means the “Long-life noodle” and symbolizes the idea of longevity. In addition to symbolizing longevity, eating Yi-mian also “signifies prosperity and good luck”.[6] In an entheogenic interview conducted with Whi Jung, a 22 years old college student at University of Washington who is originally Korean but has lived in China for 8 years, Whi claimed that for two birthdays she “spent in China, [her] host mother prepared that long life noodle on my birthdays. They said in festive days they eat that “Long-life noodle.”” She claimed that it was a simple fried noodle with onion chives, but it was her favorite food. Yet, Yi-mian is one of the many noodles that hold their specific meanings.

At times of marriage and moving into new houses people “eat noodles with gravy (打卤面), which means flavored life.” [7] On lunar February 2, people eat dragon whiskers noodles (龙须面) to pray for good weather for their agriculture.[8] Furthermore, “dutiful son’s noodle” also known as “Seafood noodle” has its own story associated. Yi Yin’s (伊尹) mother was sick. Thus, he made nonperishable noodles with eggs and flour so his mother to conveniently eat them even when he wasn’t present. This noodle reveals that idea of filial piety – one of the common believes in China. Other noodles such as the “dan dan noodles,” “sister in law noodle” or “old friend noodles” also holds their own stories. Such noodles each encompass their own stories and meanings related to longevity, filial piety love, friendship and family. Different meanings and background stories associated with each noodle shows that noodles are representations of the traditional believes and philosophy people hold and are deeply related with the history.

 

Noodles in Korea 

[Development of Korean Noodles]

Wheat in Korea was not common due to regional characteristics. Thus, unlike many common noodles found nowadays in China and in Korea that are made of wheat, traditional Korean noodles used buckwheat as its main ingredient. One most commonly known traditional Korean noodle is “Naeng-myun”. “Naeng” which means “cold” comes together with “myun” meaning noodles and thus Naeng-myun is directly translated into cold-noodle. It is a noodle made of buckwheat with chilled soup. Exact record of Naeng myun’s history is not yet found, but it is known that in a <North-Eastern Korea>, historical record written by Chang Yoo, Naeng myun as mentioned as one of the main meals then. Historians claim that “cold noodle with chilled brownish stock” would be equivalent to “Naeng myun” seen today.[9] It is also known that Naeng-myun was more familiar in the Northern part of Korea. It wasn’t until the development of conflict between Northern and Southern Korea in 1930s that Naeng-myun became the famous food in Korea. Due to the proximity of Incheon and Hwannghae-do of North Korea, Naeng-myun from North came down to South and began gaining popularity. An “article about the ‘Naengmyeon Delivery Association’ was even featured in a newspaper in Incheon in 1936.”[10] Since then, noodles in general began to gain popularity in Korea. “Naeng-myun” transformed into different types such as “Bibim-naeng-myun” where spicy sauce was added instead of the stock. Other kinds of noodles such as “Janchi-jooksu” or “Kal-gooksu” also emerged and gained greater popularity since then. All noodles have existed even before the 1930s according to myth, but historical mentions of them only appear in the 20th century.

 [Different Methods of Making Korean Noodles and their Significance]

Here, according to myths, Korean noodles also greatly emphasize the unity in people. For example, Kalgooksoo – literally translated into “knife noodle” is one of the traditional noodles in Korea and is our family’s most beloved noodle. “Kal” in Korean means knife, while “Gooksoo” means noodle. It is called the knife noodle because the noodle itself is created by cutting the flour dough with a big knife. The process of Kalgooksu is rather simple. Thus, it is Korean tradition for family units make Kalguksoo together. It only requires a flour dough to be cut into equally long strings to later be boiled and be finalized by being mixed with kelp stock.

Like so, “So-myun” meaning small noodle in Korean, also pays special attention to the process of making it. Flour dough are flavored by a sprinkle of salt and are dried under sunlight to create a very long string of noodle of usually two meters. Such noodles are then cut into small pieces to be used by the general. The process of making “so-myun” is also done cooperatively by group of people as it requires a simple but long process of making doughs to adding flavors to cutting them into strings of long pieces.

 [Korean Noodles and its Meanings]

Similar to Chinese noodles such as the “dan dan noodles,” “sister in law noodle” or “old friend noodles”, Korean noodles also are associated with their own stories. “Janchi-gooksu” a Korean traditional noodle is directly translated into the “Festive noodle.” This specific noodle is heavily associated with Korean culture. It is a Korean myth that because noodles are physically long, eating them helps people live long lives. This myth also claims that noodles should not be cut. One should eat long noodles as they are without cutting them because cutting them would mean cutting one’s longevity. During an entheogenic interview conducted with Whi, she talked about her grandmother who always forced her to finish a bowl of Janchi Jooksu – as that would bring her luck. Janchi-Jooksu to many Korean people symbolizes longevity and are thought of as lucky food that helps people be healthy and live a longer life. Thus, it is usually eaten in festive days such as the New-year and birthdays. This noodle holds similar meanings with Chinese Yi-mian as both emphasizes the idea of longevity.

Conclusion

Chinese and Korean noodle isn’t just a material for one to gain nourishment from but encompasses a whole lot of deeper meanings. Both Chinese and Korean noodles are associate with different cultural meaning and stories that are usually related to family, freidnship, care, love and longevity. They also both are similar in that both emphasizes the importance of the unity of people eating them together. Yet, one while Chinese noodles are deeply related to the Yin and Yang philosophy, Korean noodles pays more attention to the process of making them. Overall, it can be said that Chinese and Korean noodles is more than just food, but are deeply associated with cultural value, believes and identity.

 

Bibliography

 

The Chinese Kitchen, http://www.meilidezhongguo.com/Pagina’s Eng/Eng. Pag. The Chinese Kitchen.htm.

 

Liu, Junru. Chinese Food. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdbHXKlpPAM&t=1s

 

Gao, Sally. “The Importance of Yin-Yang Philosophy in Chinese Food.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 19 Jan. 2017.

 

Liu, Junru. Chinese Food. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

“Long Life Noodles – Yi Mein (伊面）.” The Woks of Life, 3 June 2019, https://thewoksoflife.com/long-life-noodles-yi-mein/.

 

Zhang, Noodles: Traditional and Today, 210

 

 “냉면.” 냉면, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=5725029&cid=43667&categoryId=43667.

 

 “The Origin of Naengmyeon (Cold Noodles): Noodlelovers.” 면사랑(Noodle Lovers), https://www.noodlelovers.com/_eng/developer/m_product_eng_noodle_set/m_index.asp?m_mode=product_view&pds_no=20161122165718485415120&pageno=.

 

[1] The Chinese Kitchen, http://www.meilidezhongguo.com/Pagina’s Eng/Eng. Pag. The Chinese Kitchen.htm.

[2] Liu, Junru. Chinese Food. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

[3] Youtube Video

[4] Gao, Sally. “The Importance of Yin-Yang Philosophy in Chinese Food.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 19 Jan. 2017.

[5] Liu, Junru. Chinese Food. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

[6] “Long Life Noodles – Yi Mein (伊面）.” The Woks of Life, 3 June 2019, https://thewoksoflife.com/long-life-noodles-yi-mein/.

[7] Zhang, Noodles: Traditional and Today, 210

[8] Zhang, Noodles: Traditional and Today, 210

[9] “냉면.” 냉면, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=5725029&cid=43667&categoryId=43667.

[10] “The Origin of Naengmyeon (Cold Noodles): Noodlelovers.” 면사랑(Noodle Lovers), https://www.noodlelovers.com/_eng/developer/m_product_eng_noodle_set/m_index.asp?m_mode=product_view&pds_no=20161122165718485415120&pageno=.

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Final Project: Noodle Narrative – Jessica Lee

Final Project: Noodle Narrative

[What Noodle means to Whi Jung]

Noodle is defined as “food in the form of long, thin strips made from flour or rice, water, and often egg, cooked in boiling liquid” by Cambridge dictionary. Yet in a Merriam-Webster dictionary, it is defined as “a food paste made usually with egg and shaped typically in ribbon form”. Like so, noodle has different meanings to different people.

To Whi Jung, a 22 years old college student at University of Washington who is originally Korean but has lived in China for 8 years, noodle means “a long string of flour dough or other ingredients like rice that is usually boiled to be mixed with other ingredients to be served as a one-time meal.” When she thinks about noodle it brings her joy and happiness. It even sounded like it brings her a sense of nostalgia. She says noodles reminds her about her family and the times they used to eat noodles altogether.

Noodle to Whi isn’t just one of her favorite food, but it also something that shows her identity. More specifically, her background and her cultural identity. Her parents are Korean and so is she. Yet, because she lived in China for many parts of her life, she believes she encompasses a sense of Chinese culture within her too. She mentioned two stories that she remembers most specifically that explained how noodle revealed her culture – both Chinese and Korea.

As for the Chinese culture, she claimed that she learned most during the two years she spent with a Chinese host family. Her mother’s friend was married to a Chinese man, and she had the opportunity to live a life with them for two years. During the two years, she mentioned that “Yi mian” that is also known as the “E-fu mian” was one food that had a strong sense of Chinese culture. She said for two birthdays she “spent in China with them, [her] host mother prepared that long life noodle on my birthdays. They said in festive days they eat that “Long-life noodle.”” She claimed that it was a simple fried noodle with onion chives, but it was her favorite food. Upon further research on Yi-mian, I figured out that Yi mein “symbolize longevity and can always be found on the banquet table at Chinese celebrations.” (The Worksoflife) Here I believe Chinese societal and cultural belief of their hopes of longevity is well represented by Yi-mian noodle.

Along with her Yi-mian story, she also talked about her story related to “Janchi-gooksu” a Korean traditional noodle directly translated into the “Festive noodle.” She talked about her grandmother who always forced her to finish a bowl of Janchi Jooksu – as that would bring her luck. In fact, it is actually a Korean myth that because noodles are physically long, eating them helps people live long lives. I thought it was interesting as the Chinese Yi-mian and Korean “Janchi gooksu” both are culturally significant as they emphasize the idea of longevity and the well-lived life for people. Whi also agreed as mentioned that both noodles have cultural symbols. She believes both noodles often symbolize “long life and are thought of as lucky food that helps people be healthy and live a longer life.”

I then questioned her about how Chinese society affects noodles or the diet. I wondered if there were specific noodles designated for different class structures and I believe the class structures are divided rather clearly in China. Whi claimed that Chinese noodles aren’t divided by class structure but more by region. She mentioned the Sichuan hot noodle or Lanzhou beef noodle. This was interesting as in class we also learned that there are different types of noodles in different regions and such originated from the difference in the ingredients they can get from the region or the climate. Yet, she claimed that there are different levels of noodles – not necessarily the type of noodle, but the general kind. For example, she believes relatively lower-class people enjoy street food noodles like chow-mian. She further claimed that classy and more expensive noodles served in restaurants are usually soup-based while street food she saw was mostly fried.  I then questioned her about how societal changes in China affect noodles or if they do make changes in the first place. She claimed that she “recently visited Beijing, China again, and thought there were much less street food.” She mentioned her reminisces as her family and herself enjoyed eating street food noodles. Yet, she noticed that today, even those getting the street food mostly do take out.

When I brought the story of noodles down to a more personal level, she mentioned her very own favorite soul food noodle – Jiajiang mian. It is also known as “noodles with soybean paste”. It is originally from China but there is also a Korea styled Jia-jiang mian. When I asked her about the difference between the Korean-style and Chinese style Jiajiangmian, she claimed that the Korean style is sweet and has more sauce. While Chinese style only put a little bit of oily sauce on it and it is less sweet and saltier comparatively. Yet, she mentioned that when she visited China again last summer, she found many of the Chinese noodles had the Korean-Chinese fusion styled and so was the Jiajiangmian. She could see Korea styled Jiajiangmian in many parts of Beijing too. This she and I believe is also one societal change that happened in China as Korean culture manifested itself in the Chinese noodle’s cultural DNA.

Overall she claimed that culture and noodles are tightly related. I also agree that food isn’t just a method to gain energy and nutrition but encompasses much more. Whi mentioned that her stories regarding “Janchi-gooksu” or “yimian” also is interesting as both noodles hold Korea and Chinese, respectively, cultural identity. Whi further mentioned that her preferences for food are also highly based on her tradition and culture.

It was genuinely interesting to see what noodles mean to my friend who experienced various cultures and believes has multiple countries’ identity. Through my interview with Whi Jung, I felt that noodle isn’t just one type of food but reveals one’s sense of national tradition, family culture, or individual characteristics. Different types of noodles hold different meanings, whether it is a family story or a traditional myth. And different noodles further give different feelings to different people.

 

Reference

(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/noodle)

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noodle)

(https://thewoksoflife.com/long-life-noodles-yi-mein/)

 

Interview Video Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3AaSmwCNgw&feature=youtu.be

 

+ Interview Questions+

1) Can you introduce yourself? Your name, age, where you live now, occupation?

2) Could you describe a little bit about your background? How long how you lived in China? How was your experience there?

3) What does noodle mean to you?

++ Definition or just personal meaning noodle has for you.

4)  Do you associate noodles with any kind of emotion?

5)  Do you have any stories or myths you recall associated with noodles?

6)  Would you say that cultural rituals or symbolism are associated with noodles?

7) In China, did you associate different kinds of noodles with different levels of education and class structures?

++ How about comparatively lower-class people?

++So there are no specific menus designated for different class people?

8) Do you maybe see any changes in noodles as the Chinese society changes?

9) What is your favorite noodle?

10) You mentioned “Korean style” Jiajiangmian. Are Korean style and Chinese styled Jiajiangmiang different? Which do you like better? Is there fusion styled Jiajiangmian in China?

11) How do you think one’s culture and noodles are associated? How are they associated specifically for you?

 

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Journal #4 – Jessica Lee

Food for my family is really something more than a material to gain energy from. We place a significant amount importance in the process of making the food. The scene of my father, my mother, my brother and I making then eating “Kalgooksu” all together is somewhat a familiar scene to our family.

Kalgooksu – literally translated into “knife noodle” is one of the traditional noodles in Korea and is our family’s most beloved noodle. “Kal” in Korean means knife, while “Gooksu” means noodle. It is called the knife noodle because the noodle itself is created by cutting the flour dough with a big knife.

The process of Kalgooksu is rather simple and on the days in which we are all free, such as mornings on weekends, we would gather around to join the long but fun process of making the Kalgooksu. We would start off with the process of making the flour dough. We would mix flour with water and then knead dough. We would take turns as it requires a long duration of time and effort making the dough. My father, whom we believe has the most physical power among us, would be the last one to work the dough. Then we would roll out the dough and fold it few times to make it easier to cut it. Then my mother, very artistically-talented person, would cut the dough into equal pieces. When we unfold the dough, we then can see a long string of flour dough that will soon turn into strings of noodle in our Kalgooksu.

We then would prepare zucchini, carrots and shiitake mushrooms that we would put in the stock with the noodle. We would thinly slice them to increase their texture. Then we would boil the thinly cut flour dough first separated in boiling water to add a chewy texture. Then we would put pre-boiled noodles and other ingredients prepared into anchovy and kelp stock. All our family members like to eat soup for dinner, so we always have spare kelp stock in our refrigerator.

The whole process takes about an hour and a half – from making the dough to creating noodles to preparing ingredients then finally putting them into our stock. My family and I used to gather at least once every month to make Kalgooksu together until we got older. Now that I’m living abroad away from my family, and so is my younger brother, I genuinely miss those times where we had so much fun making and then finally eating Kalgooksu.

(https://www.timeout.com/seoul/restaurants/gurye-woori-mil-kalguksu)

———————————————————————————————–

 

The piece that I chose to imitate was “Ping A Mien, a Chinese Family Noodle Story.” I decided to use this short piece of story because of the way it was written. I chose this piece because I too would sympathize with having a “family food” and a kind of food that I feel special attachment to.

Also, I could very relate to the part where the mother giving instructions to the writer about the process of making the food as my mother and father both like cooking and she would always want me near them so they can teach me their own special ways of cooking. I, too, often call my mother when I’m in Atlanta to ask her for her recipes when making Korean food.

One thing I learned about Chinese culture through her style is that there is always a traditional way of making food. It could be as known as nationally traditional method or it could also be a unique traditional way for one specific family. For example, the writer’s mother called for a specific type of cooking wine among many when making ping an mien. This part also was very relatable as my mother also calls for a specific type of soy sauce when making adding flavor to the broth. I thought Korean culture, also, is very similar to Chinese culture as we also have a family food that we feel special attachment to. I feel the idea of having a special attachment to could be a cultural DNA. Also having one family’s special recipes for traditional food could also be a cultural DNA in China and Korea.

 

 

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Jessica Lee – Journal #2

One of my mother’s closest friend lived in the Yanbian region for a long time. In fact, she is Chaoxianzu or Chosunjok, an official name for Korean immigrants in China. She was born and raised in Yanbian, located in Northeast China. Her parents immigrated to China when she was only 11, and it hasn’t been long since she got married to a Korean man and returned to Korea. My mother met her at an English academy, and they built their friendships by going to restaurants together as they both enjoy eating good food.

One thing I always find interesting about her is the way she talks, or acts is very much like a Korean person as much as it is like Chinese person. Both Chinese and Korean culture is innate in her. I chose to conduct a study about a meal she once prepared for our family as it showed the blend of two different cultures. One thing that interested me the most about the dinner meal she prepared was the genuine mixture of Chinese and Korean food.

On the dinner table that she prepared for us, there was white steam rice with many other dishes to eat with rice. Along with rice, there also was chaomian (Chinese fried noodle), Bulgogi (traditional Korean dish) and Fanqie chao dan (Chinese style stir-fried egg and tomato, 番茄炒蛋). There were also both kimchi and zha cai as small dishes. One dish I thought was most unique was the mala-ramen. The dinner table together was a mixture of Korean food and Chinese food. Among them, the Mala-ramen was even fusion food. She mixed the Chinese Mala sauce with Korean ramen noodles. The servings of both kimchi and zha cai was also very interesting. Korean Kimchi and Chinese Zhacai are very much like Italian pickle. They serve to relieve the greasy and heavy taste from the main dish. Serving of both the Korean and Chinese pickles was very interesting. Apart from those, I could see a very traditional Korean food – Bulgogi next to typical Chinese food – thee Fanqie chaodan. The serving of both the rice and noodle was also very new to me. In a typical Korean dining table, we would normally see either the rice with other dishes or noodles. They are usually not served together. She said she prepared all the food because there were many of us eating, but the combinations of the food she prepared were very unique and interesting.

While doing the study, I believe I used the comparison method the most. Comparisons is made “between different members of society, such as by age, and gender, and between different cultural or ethnic and associations to be highlighted”. (“Eating Culture An Anthropological Guide to Food” by Gillian Crowther in University of Toronto Press) I compared Korean and Chinese culture and their food. There was a presence of both Korean and Chinese styled food in her meal, so I believe it would be most effective to compare it to a typical Korean meal and to a typical Chinese meal. One other research method I used was participant-observation. It incorporates the insider’s perspective with outsider’s perspective to draw a wider conclusion. Although I wasn’t able to interview her for a long time, I was able to get an insider’s perspective by listening to her speak about her food at the dinner table. She mentioned that she feels herself as a Chinese person as she lived in China for a long time. Yet, because of her connections with her family and relatives back in Korea, she believes Korean culture innates in her. As an outsider, I felt like her meal was a genuine combination of Chinese and Korean culture too. Although I know more about the Korean culture than the Chinese culture, many of the food she prepared, made we think of Chinese food I saw in Beijing last summer.

It was interesting to see the presence of two different cultures in one dining meal. She was born in Korea and her parents were from Korea. Yet, she lived in China for most of her life and thus created her new style. In fact, many Chaoxianzus, Korean immigrants in China show a blend of Korean and Chinese culture and created their own and unique styles. I believe my mother’s friend’s dining meal showed the Chaozianzu’s culture and their unique style of food.

 

Citation

Crowther, Gillian. Eating Culture: an Anthropological Guide to Food. University of Toronto Press, 2018.

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Blog Post #1 [Gimbap]

 

Gimbap is one of the most important dishes to me, my family and the Korean culture. In fact, I believe gimbap is one of the most common food for many Korean people. It is often the case where Korean families either get or make gimbap to eat all together. It is also common for Korean students or even adults to bring gimbap with them to school or workplaces to eat as their meal. I believe gimbap to Korean people is very much like a sandwich to American people. Gimbap is one of the best-known Korean food that many people can enjoy as light but a full one-time meal. It is also culturally very significant in that many enjoy not only eating but also making gimbap altogether. Gimbap, in terms of meaning, can be directly translated as seaweed-rice. The translation makes sense in that it is rice with other ingredients wrapped in seaweed. There are a hundred different kinds of gimbap depending on the person who makes it. Although there are guidelines regarding how to make and what to put in gimbap, many Korean people choose to vary what they get as their gimbap ingredients. For example, the most commonly known gimbap includes tuna gimbap, bulgogi gimbap, veggie-gimbap, and sausage gimbap.

 

Regarding the history of gimbap, the basic idea of eating rice with other ingredients originally came from Japanese-sushi. The exact date and location of where Korean gimbap was first made are unknown. Yet, it is said that since the Josun dynasty, seaweed aquaculture was well-known throughout all parts of Korea. Among all regions, Gyangyang, located in the Southern part of the Korean peninsula, paid special attention to seaweed cultivation. People in Gyangyang believed that eating rice with seaweed could better their eye sights and thus had the tradition of eating seaweed with rice during Korean Thanksgiving. Considering the fact that seaweed is rich in vitamin A, Korean ancestor’s belief is indeed based on fact and is reliable. Although there are no exact evidence, it is thought that such belief brought people to develop the idea of eating rice with seaweed and eventually came up with gimbap.

 

Gimbap, to me and my family, is, I believe, more significant compared to any other people. My father always picks gimbap as his favorite food and thus since I was very young, our family would often gather around on weekends to make gimbap altogether. As mentioned before, gimbap is rice and other ingredients wrapped in a big sheet of seaweed. Although, it may look simple, each and single one of the ingredients that go inside require a significant amount of workload. In regard to our family, my father was in charge of putting and spreading rice evenly across the piece of seaweed. My younger brother and I were in charge of putting different ingredient on the rice. The ingredients that go inside always varied depending on what we wanted to eat each day. Fried carrot, spinach, cucumber, and egg garnish always went in as defaults. Yet, we would always argue whether to put bulgogi or cooked beef seasoned with salt. It was almost always the cooked beef that went inside our gimbap as my mother just extremely hated spending another load of time making bulgogi. Then, when my brother and I did our jobs of putting the ingredients neatly on the rice, my mother was in the part that required most skill. She would roll the seaweed so that it wrapped all around the rice and other ingredients. Then, she would gently cut the rolled kimbap into about ten pieces so that we can eat them more easily later. It takes about two hours for our four members to make our way from cooking the rice and preparing the ingredients to finally wrapping seaweed, cutting them and setting them neatly on our plate. Making gimbap together indeed requires a fair amount of teamwork and adequate communication as each one of us need to know when exactly the previous step will be done and be prepared to do our part in order for us to do the work in a time efficient manner. Choosing the ingredients that go inside gimbap also requires all of us to communicate and compromise in order to finally decide our menu. The long process of making gimbap, for our family, was a once-in-a-while family event in which we all gathered around to spend time together and get something accomplished altogether.

 (Picture of my Family)

My family and I used to gather at least once every month to make gimbap together until we got older. Now that I’m living abroad away from my family, and so is my younger brother, I genuinely miss those times where we had so much fun making and then finally eating gimbab.

 (Brought from Korean Bapsang)

<Recipe of Gimbap> (4 servings)

Ingredients:

For wrapping:

  • 4 sheets of dried seaweed
  • 2 cups of warm cooked rice
  • 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
  • 3 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 teaspoons of vinegar

For fillings:

  • 250g of ground beef (marinated with salt and pepper)
  • 1 carrot (shredded)
  • 1 cucumber (cut into long strips)
  • 500g of spinach (boiled and chopped)
  • 4 large eggs

Methods:

  1. In a medium bowl mix 2 cups of warm cooked rice with a tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of vinegar.
  2. Cook 250g of ground beef (already marinated with salt and pepper) for 5 minutes and place it on a bowl.
  3. Stir-fry a carrot (already shredded) with 1 teaspoon of salt.
  4. Mix 500g of pre- boiled spinach with 1 teaspoon of salt.
  5. Whisk 4 eggs until the color turns yellow and fry it into a flat omelet. Then cut the cooked eggs into 8 long strips.
  6. On a bamboo sushi roller, place a dried seaweed sheet.
  7. On the dried seaweed sheet, place the rice prepared and spread it evenly across so that the rice fills ¾ of the seaweed sheet.
  8. On the rice, and in a single layer, place 2 strips of cooked egg, 1 strip of cucumber, 60g of ground beef, ¼ of the prepared spinach, and ¼ of the shredded carrot.
  9. Roll from the bottom pressing gently on the bamboo roll to make the fillings stay in. Roll it all the way to the end of the bamboo mat.
  10. Place ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil on the top seam to keep the roll stuck together.
  11. Cut the roll of gimbap into about 10 pieces.