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Sharing A Koreatown Meal Is My Family’s Special Bonding Ritual
Critiquing our cuisine is just a part of the experience
When my parents critique kimchi at restaurants, they look at two things:
- The color: It tells you everything about the life and health of the cabbage. Kimchi should boast a speckled ruby red on its surface without looking as if it was doused in liquid fire. The color will reveal how long ago the kimchi had been fermented, at what point the seasonings were mixed in, and how quickly it was served to customers after being pulled out of its brine.
- The crunch: There’s a Korean word for the optimal crunch, pronounced “ah-sahk ah-sahk.” It translates to “crisp” or “crunchy” in English, but it’s so nuanced that the word is reserved for certain foods. To describe Korean food well, you have to master the onomatopoeia that also articulates the audible experiences of eating. Good kimchi carries a rhythm in your mouth. “Ah-sahk ah-sahk” is a feeling as much as it is the crunch of spicy fermented cabbage.
My parents are intricate and particular, which is what makes them great food critics. On the other hand, this also means our food outings are alight with frenetic dialogue. Our meals can be madness.
