'Summer Mul Kimchi' and America!

This is a photo of 'Water Apple Kimchi' or 'Mul Kimchi with Apple' or 'Summer Mul Kimchi' that I made.


'Mul' means Water in Korean.

This is a typical Korean Kimchi~~~less spicy ~~~immersed in water. This is a cold soup Kimchi that we can eat with noodle or rice when in summer or anytime. My mom made the best 'Water Kimchi' that I ...saw her making it all the time, and my grandma's favorite dish. I added Apple to give a lovely Sweet crunch to the dish as well as a HaPPy flash of great colour!



Kimchi is all about the process of maturation, which determines the taste and smell of Kimchi.



I made this food with Apple and Radish and Hot peppers and green onion and garlic.



For the maturation process, I left it at room temperature for one day and then kept in the refrigerator between uses.



I made it with my wish for us to work all together in the pursuit of preserving our family and humanity

I also made it with my hope to bring the maturation of humanity.



We all work together to come to understand what it means to humanity.

We all need to come together in the form of maturation



For me, this is one of the memory foods for my life. Mul Kimchi was the first Korean food I made when I came to America.



When in Korea, I rarely had a chance to cook because I was the only baby ~~~the younest and last baby at my house~~~nobody expected me to cook.

When in America, I had to cook in order not to starve because I came to America all by myself!



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Seventeen years ago today in 1994, I took an airplane for the first time departing from Korea to come to Albany, New York to study. It was my first time being in an airplane, I remember feeling a mixture of emotions between fear and excitement about a place that was unknown and new to me. I did not know anyone and just dreamt of getting my Ph.D.



I came to America with TWO pieces of luggage in my hand, like most American ancestors who beckoned to the call of Lady Liberty. The statue says it all: "Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free..." America absorbs all the world.



TWO pieces of luggage in my hand ~~~ filled with all the past~~~ all the history ~~~all the tears from innocent victims~~~all the wisdoms from our grandmothers’ survival ~~~ all the sufferings from starvation and manipulation~~~ all the choices and changes for embracing earth and worshiping the Mother Nature~~~ all the fears from witnessing horrible bloody killings of crying innocent people ~~~ all the endurance from witnessing horrible bloody killings ~~~ all the agonies for people who never had a chance, but died innocently~~ all the helping tears and healing wishes from Crying Land~~~from bloody murders by perpetrators~~~all the pure and endless LOVE that I have received through mothers and grandmothers, but covered with their extreme sacrifice.



And ~~~ filled with all the resilience of the dandelion ~~~the beauty of Dandelion Flowers ~~~Dandelion Spirits through mothers and grandmothers who have lived in hope through much violence and wars!



Like all others, I arrived with unrealized~~~unnoticed during the seeming storms, turmoil, cloudiness, distress, and pain of our lives. Because America is an amazing place, I saw fairly beautiful sides of America~~~ American dreams.

After I had a near-death, I started realizing different perceptions on America.



During my Seventeen years' living in America since 1994, I see both good side and ugly side of America.

I have witnessed good and bad, justice and injustice, fairness and unfairness, corruption and willing to fix corruption of America.



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Among American settlers, some came to escape persecution with immigrant baggage from a fascist, religion or others issues, others came for the pursuit of dreams and desires in the land of opportunity. Some came ~~~for the freedoms ~~~for the privileges while others came with the inheritance of slavery system bringing slaves. Some of early American ancestors were fighting for freedom and liberty while others killed and turned women into sex slaves for the settlers and slave-owners.



One popular saying was:

“Just go out there and simply grab nice Indian girls” ~~~



Under the theme of Equality and Freedom and LIBERTY, America was formed while there were still divisions across the genders and racial discrimination, entitled royalty breeding bullies, the other into slaves & breeders~~~This discrimination still continues, and it is even TODAY!



This is the TIME to work together go beyond discrimination!



This is the TIME to learn to Live Well & Live Simple with mutual respect and coexistence, NOT just live better at the expense of others!



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Making Summer Mul Kimchi



*Step ONE: Soaking the radish and cabbage

Ingredients

About two bunches of red radishes (and/or regular radishes and/or cabbage).

3 tablespoons of sea or kosher salt

Directions:

1. Peel the radishes with a knife and remove any brown or wilted outer leaves or the dead leaves.

2. Cut it into pieces about one inch long or preferable/bite sizes

3. Wash them gently and drain water and put them into a big bowl

4. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of sea or kosher salt evenly on radishes (and/or cabbage).

5. Soak about two hours. Since this is a summer version of Mul Kimchi, the Soaking time is shorter than regular Kimchi

6. Rinse thoroughly in cold water at least three times

7. Drain radishes (and/or cabbage) from soaking in the brine on a rack for 2 hours. To save time, you can squeeze out all the water.



*Step TWO: Making Summer Mul Kimchi Glue:

3 tablespoons of flour or cooked rice

2 cups of water

Directions:

1. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of flour into 2 cups of water

2. In a sauce pan, heat it over medium heat.

3. Keep stirring until the liquid thickens.

4. Turn it off when you see some bubbles and let it cool (this should look like a porridge)



*Step THREE: Making Kimchi sauce:

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1/2 tablespoons of hot pepper flakes

1/2 medium size onion –roughly chopped

2-3 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons of fish sauce ( I used anchovy fish sauce-if you are vegetarian, substitute it for salt).

1/4 cup of ground dried red hot pepper or Cayenne Pepper (I used paprika here)

Summer Kimchi Glue

Directions: Put all ingredients into blender or a food processor and blend well until creamy

Now, finally we are ready for *Making Summer Kimchi:



*Step FOUR: Making Summer Mul Kimchi:

Ingredients

3-5 scallions- cut into 1 inch lengths

1/2 apple-sliced

2-3 red chili peppers (or 2-3 green chili peppers)

Five cups of purified water.

Kimchi sauce

Directions:

1. Pour the cool porridge into the bowl and mix with scallions and apple and chili peppers

2. Add drained soaked the radish and cabbage.

3. Transfer the Mul kimchi into a container or glass jar.

4. Add five cups of purified water and cover the lid.



*Step SIX: Kimchi maturation

For the maturation process, I left it at room temperature for one day and then keep in the refrigerator between uses.

Enjoy!See More

My Moccasin that I can only wear in my bed

I received Moccasins sewn by Tim—the Red man in white skin. My Moccasins is a sturdy slipper-shaped type of shoe. One day, Tim handed me a piece of paper and asked me to draw my feet. I was perplexed. I did not know what to do or what he meant. He explained that because his grandmother appeared in his dream and told him to make Moccasins for me. They need to be the right size and that will be only for me. His grandmother told him right-size the Moccasins would protect my journey and my dream for bringing worldwide peace and making oneness. He made my Moccasins using three different leather pieces from Moose, Buffalo, and Elk. My Moccasins are decorated with beads and two dream catchers, containing 108 beads stitched together with sinew made of soft leather.

The Sole/bottom was made of moose leather. A good thick piece of moose leather for the sole was used because of its characteristic of the heaviest leather. As the largest member of deer family, Moose is the symbol of self-esteem in Native American cultures. Found in the north of medicine wheel, Moose is representing the place of wisdom. Self-esteem and wisdom are to carry to fulfill my dreams.

The Upper/top was made of buffalo leather. Buffalo is the symbol of prayer and abundance. Traditional Native American considers white buffalo as the most sacred one because they believed that buffalo would hear the prayer and help in fulfilling the dream and promises. Buffalo leather would help me carry out my dreams for better future for our children.

The Tongue/side was made of elk leather. Native American considers Elk as not the first one to arrive at goal, but their steadiness gives strong stamina. They can keep going without getting burned out. Native American believes Elk honor the company of others and work together as brotherhood and sisterhood as team. This could help me to look at how I am holding up physically to the stress in my life and to pace myself to maintain equilibrium of energy over the distance I plan to cover. Also this could help me to work with others to achieve my goals and dreams.

There are two gifts I have received in my life that I want to bring to my grave because I treasure them above all else; one is from my student who made 1000 origami—10 per day for 100 days to express her appreciation for me being her angel teacher, and the other is my moccasins given by Tim, which contains the spirit of the Red man in white skin. I would carry both of them until I end my life here on this planet. Therefore, for my moccasins, I can’t wear them, but only in my bed so that I can preserve better and longer.

My Moccasins are decorated with beads and two dream catchers. Dream catchers are surrounded by spider web, which would filter all the contamination and corruptions. My dream will come true only by going through the hole of the two dream catchers.

My Moccasins embroidered with beads embody my dream of building my memorial park which contains four columns representing four seasons and four directions: the color of harvesting red, sprouting yellow, searing black, and snowing white. Those columns will be connected by a path with arrows that direct people to walk in a clockwise direction, like summer leading to fall and winter then back to spring. Those were repeated 54 beads at each Moccasin, total of 108 beads. In Eastern culture, the number of 108 represents covering all of our emotions connecting past, present and future.

The hard-sole of my Moccasin will provide me with pleasant smoothness and warmth as well as less stimulation of good foot circulation. In my sleep, I feel the leather moccasins added comfort and protection.

As Native American wore moccasins to protect their wearer's feet from sharp rocks and cacti while they were hunting, I wear my moccasins to protect my feet from corruptions and contaminations while I am working to fulfill my dream. 

Thank you Tim for the lovely gift, my Moccasins!

Singing for the Tears of the Moon

Do you know why you are here on this planet at this time?

Our grandmothers sent messages to the world--“Sing to guide those who have gone before us, bury what we carry in the grave” and “Study the minds of those who started wars and violence and heal them without shedding a drop of  blood.”

I see that we need to start a new life without carrying the past; yet this will occur only after honoring the dead.

I have a dream of building a memorial park, a park that honors the dead through the living and the living through the dead. This is to sing for the tears of the moon—our grandmothers—the same moon witnessed our uncles’ and our aunts’ death, the same moon has lived with our history since the beginning, the same moon will shine tonight, the same moon will shine in our children’s future. In the center of the circle, there will be a monument for the dead souls who have gone before us. Their souls will be surrounded by four columns, representing four directions and the four seasons. This is to honor the dead souls as victims of violence. This is to honor the dead souls as victims of war. This is to honor the dead souls as victims of ethnic cleansing. This is to remember the dead souls who died without preparation, like those in The Nanking Massacre, The Indian Massacre, the two atomic bombings in Japan, The Holocaust, The Polish Massacre, The Cambodian Genocide, and the 9/11 attack. This is to remember the dead souls who never came back home after being kidnapped, like my great uncle and my aunts. This is to remember the dead souls whose wings were clipped, so they never had the chance to fly, like my father. At last, this is to mourn with people who lost their loved ones and are still in grief, like the families of those who died in the 9/11 attack. In order to mourn the dead through the living, four columns will be connected by a path with arrows that direct people to walk in a clockwise direction, like summer leading to fall and winter then back to spring. Whoever feels regret for the past and present violence can come to this memorial park to express their sorrow. And whoever wants to say, “Thank you” to the dead souls will be welcomed.