Inside My Mother's Kimchi Fridge

Running Time:14 minutes
Writer:Gloria Chang
Producer:Yvonne Gall
Broadcaster:CBC Radio, Outfront
Broadcast Dates:November 9, 2005
& July 18, 2006 8:43PM CBC Radio One

My mother’s been making kimchi for over 40 years. It’s Korea’s national dish, you could say. When she was growing up, making kimchi was a big communal event. Families and neighbours would gather every fall to make huge batches of kimchi to eat over the cold winters. Truckloads of cabbage and radishes would roll into the cities for the annual frenzy.

Back then, the kimchi was stored in big clay jars buried under the earth. I remember the glass jars on our apartment balcony after emigrating to Canada. Now, my mother stores her kimchi in brown plastic containers, stacked one on top of the other in a special kimchi fridge. It’s designed to control the fermentation of the pickled peppery and garlicky cabbage.

I’m hoping that by learning how to make what goes into that kimchi fridge, my mother will finally start talking about herself.