no.56 130625 Thank you for the 24 hour supermarket

'World cone' ice cream from Korean supermarket.

Originally, my plan was to write about 6.25 Korean War. But last minute changes had to be made because I needed to step out for about an hour. I just came back home, and now I am sitting down in front of my computer and typing today's post as I am eating a Korean sweet bun that I just bought from a Korean supermarket.

Yes, I was just had a quick visit to Korean supermarket at 10PM. Did I plan this? No, because I had gone there earlier today to get my groceries done. When I went earlier today, I didn't get to buy something I was looking for. I went to get 'yeol-mu' or young radish to make some kimchi at home. I'm pretty sure when I say 'kimchi' most people will automatically think of the spicy red cabbage dish. Did you know that there are different types of kimchi? Each type also varies depending on which region they are from. Check out some of the types of kimchi organized by the Korean tourism website.

The type of kimchi I want to try making is called 'yeolmu-mul-kimchi' using 'yeol-mu'. It's not spicy, and it has a lot of soup, which makes it a perfect kimchi to eat in the summer. I've seen and helped my mom and my grandma make kimchi before. The tradition process of making kimchi is called 'gim-jang'. I never thought I would make kimchi until I get married, but I guess it doesn't hurt to start a little bit early. Who knows, maybe by then, I could be a kimchi expert!

So why did I go back to the store when I'm supposed to be working on my blog? It's because I got a call from my dad saying that there is fresh yeol-mu that just arrived at the supermarket. First of all, I didn't know he was going to the supermarket because he said he was going out to exercise. Then I was impressed at the fact that my dad might have walked there, since it's pretty far from where we live. Thinking that he walked there, and that it will be too heavy to carry the kimchi ingredients home, I suggested I pick him up at the store. My dad told me he didn't know how to pick the right yeol-mu and he also told me that he took the car with him... He came to get me, and together we went back to the store to get the yeol-mu and some midnight's snacks (a very bad idea, but I was kinda hungry). It took us an hour to get to the store, pick out yeol-mu, get in the line to pay and drive home... longer than I expected, because of a super long line up at the cash register as only two were open.

It was a fun adventure, actually. I got what I needed and I also got a snack (on sale too!) that I was craving for a while. I'm thankful for the 24 hour supermarket. It's easily accessible and conveniently located in my neighbourhood. I'll be doing some gim-jang tomorrow... I hope it goes well!