Birthday Feast

This is a meal that my family prepared for my grandfather's 80th birthday. On the very left is a plate of 삼색나물 (sam-sek-namul) which is commonly prepared, in Korean culture, for large family gatherings or family events. 삼색나물 directly translates to tri-color-wild herbs and can consist of many different combinations of wild herbs as long as they consist of three distinct colors. The three herbs that we prepared were 취나물 (chui-namul), 고사리나물 (go-sa-li-namul), and 무나물 (mu-namul). 취나물 are the green herbs that you can see at the very back of the plate which is an aster leaf salad. Aster leaves are very fragrant and we often eat them in wraps or just as a side with rice. 고사리나물 are the brown herbs that you can see at the very front of the plate which is a bracken salad. Bracken mostly takes on the flavor of the seasoning used during cooking because a lot of its natural flavors are extracted during the preparation of the ingredient. 무나물 are the white herbs at the center of the plate which is a radish salad. Radishes are a bit sweet and moist and are eaten as a side with rice. All of these salads are typically stir fried but can be served warm or cold. To the right of the herb salads we have another salad consisting of lettuce and julienned carrots, cucumbers, and bell peppers dressed in a mayo vinaigrette. Next to that salad we have 코다리 강정 (kodari gangjeong) which is semi-dried pollack that's been deep fried and coated with a sweet and spicy sauce which gives it its vibrant red color. The fact that the pollack was semi-dried before cooking gives the fish more of a bite and chewiness as compared to normal fried fish which is very soft, moist, and flaky. To the right, we have 갈비찜 (galbi jjim) which is braised beef short ribs typically cooked together with potatoes, carrots, onions, and peppers. I would definitely have to say that this is my favorite dish just because of how tender the beef is and how flavorful the sauce is. Beside that we have 잡채 (japchae) which are sweet potato starch noodles stir fried with a mix of vegetables. We used mushrooms, chives, carrots, and onions in our japchae but not a lot of oil or seasoning because my grandma likes to keep things healthy. I would advise putting in an adequate amount of oil and seasoning as our japchae did not turn out too well. Next to that we have some classic Korean fried chicken with sweet and spicy sauce, sprinkled with some sesame seeds. Then at the very right we have 전 (jun) which are Korean pancakes with vegetables, meat, or herbs inside. In our case, we actually used some of our bracken in our 전. Behind all of the rectangular plates, we have kimchi in two bowls on the left side of the counter. In the left bowl, we have kimchi from the top leafy parts of the Napa cabbage which are more intense and flavorful while in the right bowl, we have kimchi from the thicker base parts of the Napa cabbage which produces a milder flavor but more of a bite in its texture. In the pink pot on top of the stove, we have 미역국 (miyuk guk) which is a seaweed soup that is traditionally served on birthdays. 미역국 can be made out of three different kinds of broth: beef, mussel, and anchovy. Having tried all three, I can confidently say that my favorite is beef broth which is what my mom had made in the pink pot.

I know of some of Korea's food traditions and culture but I don't understand how they came to be or how consistent they have been. What's normal to me now may not have been normal to Koreans in the past. Or maybe it was. If so, I'd like to know why it is that those specific traditions survived while others may have died. I would like to ask the question of how Korea's food culture has changed over time to shape its current food culture. How did economic and political situations play a role? How much was lost during times of war and annexation? How much was retained? Are food traditions uniform across Korea or are there differences depending on the district? There are many factors that can influence food culture, even differences in local geography. It's important to know what plays a role in Korean food culture and to what degree it may affect it as these are the very things keeping the traditions alive.