Kimchi

Kimchi 

Soju 

The same way that people don't understand how I eat tripe, I don't understand how Koreans eat kimchi. The dish is made of fermented cabbage with a spicy paste and a sour taste. October/November are the kimchi making months. Families drive to food markets and buy up bushels (bundles or whatever the collective term of cabbages is), then they wash it and coat it with the paste and let it 'rest' otherwise known as ferment. 
The quality of the kimchi depends on how long it's been allowed to ferment and your own tastes bud, fresh kimchi could be 'rested' for a week and old kimchi can be fermented for years! 
I've tasted kimchi, not sure how old it was but it isn't for me. Bless the Koreans, they have stronger stomaches than me and this isn't only with regards to their food, the national drink also takes a lot out of you. 


Soju. The Russians have vodka, the Koreans have Soju. I'm not sure if it's because both these countries happen to be fully embraced by winters' kiss (they're really cold), that they felt the need to consume so much alcohol but vodka has nothing on soju. The amount of alcohol in soju must be the maximum limit allowed for human consumption. We have it at every school dinner and as a sign of respect you take a shot with the boss(es). 


Life can be tough for the foreign stomach.