That’s Not All About Kimchi

Many people adore kimchi. Call it the centerpiece for shared language. A variety of colors, rhythms of complex spiciness, a crowning addition to an otherwise mundane dish – like the perfect hat to complete your (tedious + boring) wardrobe. Kimchi is center stage in Korean culture and like great teas and coffees, we adopt, adapt and share, globally.
That’s not all.
It’s alive with organisms promising us a healthy gut with probiotics, packed with healing vitamins, good bacteria (lactobacilli) and deliciousness.
That’s not entirely all.
I’m taught that we have two brains: one in our head and one in a brilliant assembly of organs known as our gut. The latter is, for example, where intuition and smart assessments happen – red flags by

way of digestive disorders wave, sometimes wildly and without pride – like, well you know, gut feelings – things that are wrong (or right) but we can’t rationalize. Apparently there is a science to how the gut knows what it knows.
That’s not all.
Kimchi is fermented, it’s a superfood, and it salutes your gut brain in an entirely satisfying way!
5 Ways to Enjoy Kimchi
1. A dollop in your soup. Incredibly tasty.
2. Kimchi pancakes. Hold the maple syrup!
3. Order “The Judy” (at Martha’s in Newburgh) hint: involves egg + veggies
4. Nori rolled with rice, kimchi and tuna (or egg or avocado).
5. Cranberry + apricot (or mango) kimchi. Mix it all together. Perfect on your Thanksgiving table.
That’s all!
For now.

Artful Kimchi

The world of “kimchi” has grabbed my attention. Sourcing it back to the specifics of culture, taste, health, sustainability, fermentation and human longevity, making kimchi on a regular basis transports me to Beethoven’s 4th piano concerto – huh? – well, really, it has both mellow and fierce undertones, pacifies me to stillness and most of all, all the parts relate to each other and if your brain can handle it, each flavor texture and color speaks to it’s neighboring flavor texture and color – little random acts of kindness inside a mason jar.
I choose the veggies, sort them, clean them, chop and organize them according to color and size, add spices to soothe and surprise, then I press press press in remembrance of  understanding where each once comes from, which farm, which NYS county, or at least that’s the goal. I want you to discover things in the kimchi and feel good, not only because that’s a nice thing to do, but because you will come back for more – maybe or maybe not for health, maybe for the cracker-jacks-box-like surprise. (and you don’t have to eat the entire jar to find it!)
Soon, I suppose I need to mention our “gut brain”.