Gwangju World Kimchi Culture Festival

Each fall Gwangju hosts the Kimchi Festival which celebrates Korea's national food, kimchi. At the festival you can taste quite a few varieties of kimchi and other foods, learn a little about the history of kimchi and the kimchi making process, and the best part: make your own kimchi to take home!

Starting the kimchi making process! This kimchi was slightly different than what Olivia made with her kids on their fieldtrip as a whole head of cabbage was used, but the spices were very similar. 

The finished product! We can eat our kimchi now, resulting in a crisper kimchi, or let it ferment for years.  Personally, we both prefer the newer, crisper kimchi.

Michelle making a kimchi wrap, one of the many kimchi-related foods available at the festival. 

Let's Make Some Kimchi!

Last Wednesday was field trip day and the first graders all went to the kimchi museum to make some kimchi. For those of you that don't know, kimchi is fermented veggies, most often cabbage, with a variety of seasonings. It is Korea's national dish and is served with almost every meal.

On our way to the Kimchi Museum!

Without further ado, here are my students making a big ol' mess:

Start by chopping the cabbage. I'm actually not sure exactly what vegetable we were using, although it definitely wasn't the traditional cabbage. Maybe the cabbage stalk? 

Mix the cabbage with salt. Obviously, don't use gloves because that just isn't any fun. 

Add scallions, fish sauce, some sort of red pepper sauce, garlic, etc.

Keep mixing! Take a bite or lick your fingers to see how it is going.  Put your hands right back in!

Attempt to clean. Note my coteacher in the back who knowingly wore all white to stand in a room with around 100 first graders throwing around a food that is notorious for permanently staining clothing. Somehow she didn't get a drop of kimchi on her regardless of all of the kids looking like Jack, the boy in the picture.

Take home your kimchi and enjoy!
"Teacher! So delicious!"