making kimchi with mom

BB was confused about the newspapers and vegetables spread out all over the kitchen floor, but wanted to help anyway.

Quality control - inspecting each radish. thanks BB!

Separating the roots from the green tops, and reserving a small portion of the green stuff for the final product.

I scrubbed all the roots free of dirt and sliced them in halves, then quarters.

Mom pouring in the salt, which is what pickles the whole lot, obviously...

Letting it sit for a couple of hours.

Bonus shot of Maxie snuffling through the spinach we cleaned & cooked after preparing the kimchi.

I keep typing kimchi like "kimchee" which I guess is closer to how I pronounce it. I went to the Korean supermarket in Little Tokyo yesterday with my mom and she went crazy getting all sorts of veggies and fruit and seasonings while I gazed at the lobsters, halibut, octopi, abalones and sea cucumbers in the tanks by the butcher section. It's like going to the aquarium... in a sad, morbid way. I get sad thinking about the animals I eat, but their deliciousness eventually trumps my non-existent-activist/animal-loving heart so instead I silently thank the animals and sing praises to them through my belly. I ended up cooking all day with my mom - julienning carrots & ginger, peeling & crushing garlic, boiling & shocking spinach, bean sprouts, lots of sautéing and making sure there's enough rice to go with everything. Then I got caught up in working on something else so my mom finished off the seasoning of the kimchi, so I unfortunately did not get shots of that. But I think we'll be making more in the near future.

wise words

I tend to be bad at saving money...I wouldn't say I'm a frivolous spender, just sometimes careless - I use my credit card too often. So the other day I was talking about collecting unusual glass bottles/what have you and my mom said 'You know what you should collect instead? Money!' Truer words could not have been spoken as humorously in that situation so I've finally taken it to heart and now I am very serious that I tone down my spending habits, spend smarter, and begin saving. It is a habit that will benefit anyone greatly once they become financially independent. It's time to grow up in that aspect and realize there won't always be someone to bail me out when I am in need. Thanks Mom...!

'mom' ramen

This may not look delicious, but knowing that my mom set off to make a bowl of quick ramen for me and her, but finding only one package of the good spicy kind, quickly mixed it with a regular package, throwing in spinach and eggs and deliciousness to make the meal more wholesome, is what makes this so special. Thanks Mom!

She was amused that I took a quick snapshot of this before digging in, saying "Hehe, you take pictures of 'nothing.'" but when I jokingly told her "If it's food, it's something." she laughed and nodded.

I love Mom

My mom when she was about my age (20).

Things I like love about my mom.

1. How she hates how I call comic books "graphic novels."
2. Her strange, passionate obsessions - of late, Pyrex vintage glassware & vintage dresses.
3. Her unrelenting, persevering, hardworking person.
4. How she is always straightforward with me; I know when I ask her a question I will get her honest opinion/thoughts.
5. How she embodies everything I want to be - an amazing artist, mother, and person.

Thanks Mom.