Kimchi making...

This weekend was interesting.  I made kimchi with the boyfriends mother.  She is leaving for work related stuff on Wednesday (going to Thailand) and wanted to make kimchi before she left.  And because I am her "daughter-in-law," it is my duty to make kimchi with her.  Because this is the 1950's and only women do the cooking and cleaning.  It is "our duty and we should take pride in it."  According to her.  Ha.  She would be flabbergasted by the fact that her son is the one who  (9 times out of 10) cooks us dinner and does the dishes after.  We split the housework, like it should be.  No one person gets off easy in our relationship but I will pay this role because I kind of like the boyfriend.  Not worth making a fuss over, because at home it doesn't work like that and the boyfriend knows it.  He is great.

Anyways, making kimchi.  So, because it was my first time making kimchi I got relegated to the cleaning of vegetables and stirring of pots.  There is a lot going on when you are making kimchi.  You have various pots of liquids that go together and make the sauce for the kimchi.  Then you have the cabbage that needs to be cut down to size.  And the various veggies that need washed, three times because that is how the "mother-in-law" likes it done.  Once everything is washed and cut, you mix the sauces together and then put in the veggies.  No cabbage yet.  Because this is a hard part, the boyfriend did it.  You basically knead the veggies and sauce together.  I guess you have to see it to understand but it is similar to when you knead bread.  Best way to describe it.  After the sauce thing is done you get down to putting it in the cabbage and storing it.  That takes up most of the time.  You sit on the floor and separate each leaf of the cabbage and put the sauce concoction into it.  Once all the cabbage is done, you are finished.

It really wasn't that bad of an experience and didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would.  About 5 or 6 hours total.  The "mother-in-law" is happy that I can now make kimchi for the boyfriend.  And she taught me how to cook this pork thing too.  Because we all know I cook.  Ha.

On a serious note.  The "mother-in-law" isn't that bad, she means well but sometimes her draconian thinking is a bit much for me and the boyfriend.  I understand that her heart is in the right place and she is doing things this way because of how she was raised and Korean culture.  I am thankful that the boyfriend does not support this line of thinking and actually helps.  To each their own.