Have kimchi, will travel

Kimchi needs no introduction to Saipan residents. You know what it is. In fact, I’m sure a few of you had it with lunch today. So we’ll direct our gaze elsewhere, whereupon we’ll note that kimchi is said to be the national dish of Korea. As for the U.S. mainland, I doubt that most Americans have tried it, but it has a dedicated following in some cosmopolitan areas and this is sure to grow.

Despite the fact that my palate is as bland as my personality, kimchi is one of my favorite foods. My wife likes it, too, which makes things easy around here.

I’m not sophisticated in the food realm, and, in fact, I’d be the last guy to ever ask about it. By contrast, one credible voice in the field is bon appetit magazine, which has been a heavy hitter in U.S. as long as I remember. It has a circulation of over 1.5 million.

Looking at its website (bonappetit.com), I note that kimchi has been mentioned at least six times this year in various recipes and articles. So, with the gastronomic cognoscenti, kimchi is an accepted player.

In fact, a July write-up on the site featured eight top brands of U.S.-made kimchi.

Two such brands that I remember having in the mainland are Bing Gre Kimchi Pride, which is from New York, and Cosmos Nappa Cabbage Kimchi, which is from California. People on Saipan will already have preferences for kimchi brands, but if you’re reading from the mainland and want to try some kimchi, I think the bon appetit site is a good resource.

I have found that kimchi brands vary widely in taste. Some are bland. Some are mildly spicy. Some are very spicy. And some are spicy and tangy and downright lively, which, for some reason, really clicks with me.

What’s in it? This varies as well. But here are the ingredients from a Cosmos label: nappa cabbage, radish, red pepper, garlic, ginger, salt, onion, sugar, beef bone extract, fish sauce (anchovy extract, water, salt, sugar), water, monosodium glutamate.

A two-oz. serving has only 15 calories and has no fat. Well, so far, so good, but it does have 340 mg of sodium, which can add up if you really load up on eating kimchi (as I do sometimes).

The Cosmos label says it’s naturally fermented. This is true to the origins of kimchi, which has been fermented since old-school times. Back in the day, it was buried in clay vessels for the fermentation process. I’ve seen such vessels on Saipan, but whether they were for actual kimchi-making, or just for decoration, I don’t know.

However, I don’t think that everything labeled as kimchi these days is necessarily fermented, thus proving that you can’t take anything for granted.

People who are knowledgeable about healthy foods and practices have told me that the fermentation makes kimchi a “probiotic” food that has beneficial bacteria and is therefore good for you.

We all know the term “antibiotic” for stuff that kills bacteria. “Probiotic” is the opposite. Although we usually consider bacteria to be nasty, even deadly, germs that we want to get rid of, our bodies also harbor beneficial bacteria that we need to survive. Isn’t it weird how nature often holds two seeming opposites that are also sort of the same thing? The opposites seem more like complements if you look at things a certain way. Go figure.

Anyway, back to the kimchi gig, is the health angle worth heeding? Maybe so. Here’s a little anecdote that I’ll share, which is why I decided to write about kimchi today:

During a recent trip I was at the total mercy of mass-market restaurant fare in the U.S. The trip dragged on and on. The unhealthy food dragged on and on.

And me? I just dragged.

It occurred to me that a bit of kimchi would be a welcome change of pace. I wasn’t thinking about health, I was just thinking about something fun to eat.

Although I was in the semi-hinterlands I was finally able to find an Asian store. It was small Chinese market, but well-stocked. It carried some Korean kimchi. After buying the kimchi and digging into it, the next day my energy was back to normal. I felt great.

Of course, this doesn’t prove that the kimchi revivified me. But I think it did.

By contrast, I also think that the standard American road-warrior technique of drinking orange juice and popping vitamins never paid off over all the decades I tried it.

So I’m trimming my sails accordingly.

If you’ve got any observations along these lines, I welcome, as always, email via my website.

In summary, kimchi is more than a mere side dish. It has a distinguished heritage and it’s gathering even more respect in modern times.