Skip to main content

Everything I ever needed to know I learned from Maangchi

This summer while camping I took on something I never thought I would, reading the novel, "Julie and Julia". When Donna first mentioned it to me, that the campground office had a book exchange library and this Julie Powell piece was available, I declined. This was because I saw the movie. Later that day, while at the office, I took the book down and began to read the reviews. It sounded abrasively riotous, complicated, rudely sarcastic and witty. In other words, I was beginning to think maybe the movie only shared a title with the book. I decided to try it. I was right, the screenwriters told a completely different story. They " Brady Bunched" Julie's story. The Julie Powell in the book was unstable, often selfish, envious, injured and direction-less. So, I concluded, she was human. I gave real Julie a try. Most know, the author decided to cook her way through Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." 524 recipes in 365 days. It seemed like such a great idea, one othose that makes you want to take on something too. I would never cook through MtAoFC. I thought of my YouTube buddy, Maangchi. Her cookbook had been out for a little over a year now, but I had never actually seen it in person. I have always known the I would buy it, I made the assumption that it would be a cookbook that look like it was written by a YouTube novice. But still, I have cooked more of Maangchi's recipes than anyone elses by far. Maybe there could be a way? It still felt weird. The recipes I have tried have just gotten better all the time and even better, I was learning so much while enjoying them. I knew last month that it was time for me to buy her cookbook and support her for this wonderful gift she was given to so many people and to thank her for the joy she brought to my family and for the large crock of kimchi in my downstairs refrigerator, that now after five months is even better than ever! I feel bad that I thought Maangchi's book would be a "Mc Cookbook". Why should I think that when everything she ever gave us is as real as your best friend walking you through a process. No, she is a very competent teacher, cook and entrepreneur. I received the book and it is beautiful. Well written, arranged and photographed. It is also not only a collection of recipes but the " why and how" this food exists. Detailed explanation of how this food is so much more than food. It's life balance and harmony. It is great because it was built on the understanding of who we are and rather than hammering the square peg into the round hole, this book competently explains how to go with it, and reach bliss in taste, health and celebration of life and moments with food. The food etticate of Koreans is honorably and lovingly founded upon deep respect and in many cases is very contrary to other Asian countries. So now the idea of cooking my way through "Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking" seems like an exceptional goal. Keep in mind, Julie Powell lived in Long Island City, Queens. I live in Weathersfield Vermont. The ability to gather more obscure items can be a challenge. After all, even Yipings Asain Market in West Leb, (which I love) does not carry all of the Korean ingredients I require on a regular basis. I really want this. So now I pause to assess this very intriguing opportunity. I will keep you posted.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Universal Antagonist

There is an underrated movie from 1967 called “The Presidents Analyst”. It tells the story of a presidents analyst who cannot talk with anyone about what he knows. This creates more anxiety than he can deal with. It leads to catastrophic paranoia. In the meantime, various government agencies are trying to kill him. The phone company (a unit with the same power as Facebook, google, and other large personal data collecting monsters) wants what he knows to further their cause of power. He ends up being  protected by a suburban “Liberal” family that has more guns the the “right wing wackos” they are protecting themselves from. With many crazy mind bending plot twists  that were  common in the movies of the late 60’s, the kind that Austin Powers liked to spoof, in the end, the main character realizes the “it’s the phone company” behind all of the evil in their lives, behind all the evil in the world. Hollywood was serious about their message in an insane package. This movie wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

You try to appear to fit in but not too much, because then you don’t.

It is funny how airports can bring the humanity of humanity to the surface, but also pretend that it is not really there. There is a feeling of aloneness while being immersed in a sea of other people. I feel other people’s emotions without even trying, so this is a very serious thing I experience. It can be hard to sort out, but just like everything else I remember that each of them has their own brand of trivial stress. The trivialness is temporary because when sitting in an airport waiting for a flight, certain daily concerns peel away like an onion skin. This is because mortality gets sprinkled onto our essence like a deep savory spice. It’s just enough to make you appreciate you daily life. I can’t tell you how many times I have looked around at the people at my departure gate and thought, “if this were the series LOST, what roles would each of us take should we end up on that island." Searching faces, I perceive where they fit into the story. This is what happens when you acc...
Post a Comment
Read more

The passing of seasons

  I always thought it would be easier living after the cats were gone. We were always saying that we were not going to do it again. Very smugly taking beautiful things for granted. Even Donna said, we just did not understand how exceptional they were. Lava's final cries in pain were of death itself, I just know it, and they were the most harrowing sound I have ever heard. It tears me to the core.  Doctor House was right though, there   is   no dignity in dying, we all do it alone and it's ugly and horrifically terrible. The only thing we can do is live with dignity.  Our daily numbness makes us not even do that so well. And in Goodbye, Farewell, Amen, there were light points of this and deep ones too. Even in hardship, we can take the good for granted. Hardship, well yes, it can have lasting effects. And that is on a chemical level. I heard a summary of societal decade disintegration. I know this all means something yet I am losing the drive to put the idea into...
Post a Comment
Read more