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When you visit a Korean friend's home, you'll find kimchi as a matter of course. It's a familiar sight in Japan as well, but the taste and attention to detail are quite different from what you'll find in the local supermarkets in Japan.
Seunghyun, with whom I became friends in class, absolutely loves kimchi. In her family, they hold an event called "Kimjang," where they make a large quantity of homemade kimchi every year in preparation for the long, cold winter. For Koreans, it's an important tradition.
Kimchi made at Seunghyun's family home. They store the kimchi in a case for storing clothes. And this is only a small part of all of it.
At her home, they make about 15 kilograms of kimchi every year. The whole family diligently prepares each cabbage leaf for pickling, but by the time they're done, their backs and shoulders are sore. I've heard that they even have a separate refrigerator just for storing kimchi, in addition to their regular one.
Just hearing about their love for kimchi is inspiring. I, for one, used to think, "Why bother making kimchi at home when you can just buy it at the supermarket?" But why do they put so much emphasis on making kimchi at home?
Seunghyun says, "Kimchi is a special thing that varies in taste and tradition from one family to another. I want to cherish the taste that has been passed down through generations in my own family."
I deeply admire the attitude of Koreans who value the time spent together as a family, and who hold their family's traditions and flavors in high regard.
CHOI SEUNGHYUN
College of International Management, 3rd year
South Korea
(Published in the morning edition of the Oita Godo Shimbun on August 22, 2023)
Based on a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Oita Godo Newspaper, since January 2022, Student PR Assistants (SPA) have been contributing their interviews with international students to the life and culture section of the newspaper’s morning edition. SPA will introduce different cultures and the interesting topics they raise from an authentic, student perspective. These student writers take this opportunity to get the newspaper’s readership and students interested in the world. They also aim to improve their skills with the aid of professional editors.
I am Yukina Kiyosue, a 3rd year student in the College of International Management (APM) who loves comedy! I commute to APU from the Kunitachi Peninsula, which is rich in nature. I decided to start writing because I was motivated by this university, where there are many people who are willing to try new things and who can seriously devote themselves to something. I will do my best!
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