Once upon a time, in a land far, far away-South Korea, I lived in an apartment with multitudes of pots of fermented, (rotting) spicy, salty, fishy cabbage known as kimchi on the roof. In South Korea, kimchi is more than a “national food”, the fermented cabbage is served with every meal, is believed to have mysterious health properties that don’t quite yet seem documented by science, and is the “life blood” of the Korean people who consider themselves to be the “Italians of Asia.” For these reasons, the high cost of kimchi in South Korea as a result of a national cabbage shortage is likely akin to panic of severe proportions for the entire homogenous population.
The NYT reports that the Korean newspapers are calling the current shortage, “a national tragedy” and “a once in a century crisis” and the president of South Korea has generously offered to eat cheaper kimchi in a show of solidarity with the Korean people.
Koreans are notorious for their kimchi addictions; if you are traveling in almost any place that Koreans visit, you will notice busloads of Koreans heading out to Korean restaurants because they have such strong cravings for kimchi. Some ajumas (middle-aged women known for their toughness) even bring kimchi with them on planes, buses, boats, or any kind of transportation imaginable. As you might guess, kimchi tastes better than it smells, so the kimchi-carrying Koreans are often easily “spotted” when they are on their travels.
Given the Koreans’ collective-kimchi addiction, how are they handling the cabbage and kimchi shortage? According to the NYT, some Koreans are handling the shortage much better than others. Usually kimchi in Korea is served with every meal as a free side dish and now Koreans are forced to pay for kimchi with their meals at a number of establishments. Some of those who prefer to make their own kimchi are now forced to buy ready-made kimchi in the stores in order to save money. Others, however, are claiming that the prices have always fluctuated and that the price will eventually go down to more normal levels.
I am honestly having a hard time trying to give non-Koreans an idea of how important kimchi is to the everyday-average Korean- the Koreans won’t necessarily starve without kimchi, so the shortage isn’t like the Potato Famine or a rice shortage, but maybe like a shortage of fast food restaurants for most Americans.
