By Honorary Reporter Amy G. Partain from U.S.

Photos= Korea.net DB

The first time I tasted kimchi was on Mother's Day in 2006 in the U.S. By the second Sunday in May that year, we were about six weeks into the process of adopting our son. I decided that since Korea would be making me a mother, I should have my first Korean meal on Mother's Day.

I don't remember what I ordered, but it was probably bulgogi (marinated grilled beef); I had never been an adventurous eater. I enjoyed most of the banchan (side dishes), though I wasn't sure what I was eating. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut had never been favorites of mine, but I knew how important kimchi was to the Korean diet, so I was determined to try it. It was sour and pungent, and after a couple of bites, I was finished with it.

Shortly after that meal, my husband and I started taking Korean classes. We were determined to learn a few Korean words and phrases before our son joined the family later that year. Our first Korean teacher told us about Parents' Day in Korea, which falls on May 8. She explained how children gift carnations to their parents -- red if one's parents are alive and white if they are deceased. It was fun to learn about this holiday, and I wondered if someday I'd receive a red carnation. Our teacher taught us about Korean food, introducing us to different types of kimchi including those made from radish and cucumber as well as that made from the traditional cabbage.

That Mother's Day meal in 2006 was the first of thousands of Korean meals I would have over the next decade. A few stand out in my memory. The first meal we had in Korea at a small restaurant next to our guesthouse in September 2006. The first time I had bibimbap (mixed rice with meat and assorted vegetables) at the Korean Folk Village in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Province, during the same visit. A Chuseok meal with friends at a Korean restaurant around our home in 2008.

Most of these meals were accompanied by kimchi, one or two varieties usually. Each time I forced myself to try a couple of bites of cabbage kimchi, but for many of those years, I took no pleasure in it. I enjoyed radish and cucumber kimchi, but while both crunchy and crisp, they are still often too spicy for my palate.

When our son was 1, a friend recommended to us her favorite Korean restaurant, Tong Tong, which was run by a family who had immigrated to the U.S. from Seoul, where they also operated a restaurant. She called the food there the most authentic among the restaurants in our area, and Tong Tong quickly became our favorite. During our frequent visits, the owner family got to know us and our son. They learned our son's favorites — muguk (radish soup) and a side dish made with fish cake — and brought extras of those just for him. We also enjoyed the side dishes, including the radish and cucumber kimchi, and I tried the cabbage kimchi still knowing it wasn't my favorite.

Sometime over the last 14 years, I started to love cabbage kimchi. While we have since moved an hour's drive away from Tong Tong, I am often in that city for work and still eat there at least a couple of times a year. The last time I was there, the kimchi was so good that I devoured three bowls of it by myself.

Kimchi is now one of my favorite foods. I love kimchi jeon (pancake), kimchi jigae (soup) and kimchi bokkeumbap (fried rice). In the last year, I have started making my own mak (easy) kimchi and eat it almost every day. How ironic that while eating my first Korean meal in 2006, I was most excited about Mother's Day as it was my first time to celebrate the holiday. Yet 14 years later, I love kimchi far more. Mother's Day is no big deal for me — I don't need a holiday to celebrate me as a mom — but I cannot live without kimchi, that spicy, wonderfully pungent and crisp cabbage. I am now down to my last jar of homemade kimchi, so over this Mother's Day weekend, I plan to make more. It seems like the perfect way to mark the weekend.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.