Korean Dining Table: "A Single Sheet of Seaweed, Embracing the Weight of Life" (Broadcasted on March 12, 2015)
A sheet of Seaweed (Gim) on a steaming bowl of rice! It's one of the most beloved and commonly enjoyed side dishes in Korea. Although a single sheet of gim might seem light, the journey it takes to reach the dining table is anything but. Let's rediscover the true value of a sheet of gim that we may have taken for granted.
The Taste Grown by the Sea, Sun, and Wind: More Valuable than Gold!
Gim farming is known for being one of the most labor-intensive forms of sea farming. Along the shores of Jangheung, farmers are busy lifting and turning the gim frames submerged in the sea. They meticulously flip each frame to sun-dry the gim, making every day a strenuous and challenging one for these gim farmers. Yet, their efforts to maintain a healthy sea are rewarded with a thriving marine ecosystem, where green laver and seaweed grow together, and octopus fills the traps come spring. For Bong-gil Kim's family, who starts and ends their day with gim, roasting gim used to be a festive occasion. There were times when gim was a rare treat, but now a table set with just gim is abundant and fulfilling. How grateful we are for gim.
Water Gim, the Raw Material: Visiting the Largest Water Gim Market in Korea
If you only know dried gim, you don't know the half of it. Water gim, the raw material used to make gim, is primarily traded in Haenam, Jeollanam-do. Every morning, Eoranjin Port is bustling with the sound of water gim being packed, as over 50-60 boats filled with water gim gather daily. The gim auctioneers, who can tell the quality of gim just by touch, bring warmth to their bodies and spirits with a bowl of water gim ramen cooked on-site at the auction house.
Obuldo Island’s Gim Weeding: The Fresh Water Gim Table of a Simple Island Couple
A five-minute boat ride from Eoranjin Port takes you to Obuldo Island. Here, Yong-ran Kim and Byung-sul Park, who became a couple despite being separated by the winds six times, live and work. Starting at dawn, they harvest water gim and then busy themselves collecting natural stone gim and barnacles growing on sunlit rocks. The seemingly leisurely island life is actually filled with the tireless, hard work of its inhabitants. When memories resurface with a savory water gim pancake, made simply with water gim, Yong-ran cooks water gim soup with aged kimchi, a favorite of her husband, to complete their meal. Though they may not resemble each other, the food they prepare together is infused with the love and bond built over the years. Despite the sea's harshness, it also provides the sustenance and companionship that keeps their dining table and lives from feeling lonely.
Until a Sheet of Gim Dries: The Efforts of the Sea and People
For those who live off gim farming from the cold winter to spring, the sound of gim drying in clusters is a joyful one. Nam-won Kang, who sticks to traditional methods, diligently dries each sheet of gim by hand. Starting work at dawn and needing many hands, his wife's busy preparations for the workers reflect their shared labor and dedication. Despite the struggle, his unwavering love for handmade gim has caused his wife considerable hardship. Though gim reminds her of her troublesome husband, it’s the only food she never tires of. Each day, a sheet of gim graces their table, embodying the time and effort of people and nature that sustains them.
The Weight of a Sheet of Gim: Embracing a Mother's Wisdom
Although the sight of drying gim has become a thing of the past, the traditional dishes made with gim remain. In Gwangyang, families still busy themselves with drying bugak (gim crisps) every spring. A seventy-four-year-old mother, who worked tirelessly on gim farming, ensured her daughters did not have to endure the same hardship. When dried gim became damp, she brushed it with glutinous rice paste and dried it again to make bugak or preserved it in soy sauce to make gim jangajji. During the busiest times, she would crush a roasted sheet of gim into cold broth and serve it over noodles. "Gim saved me," she often said. Thus, a single sheet of gim holds within it the timeless wisdom and unforgettable memories of a mother's life, perfectly encapsulated.
*Seaweed is the only side dish we need when we're eating a bowl of hot, sticky rice. WIth a little bit of kimchi, you would even eat two or three bowls of rice, all Koreans would agree. Find out how that yummy salty delicious dry seaweed is made!
#seaweed #kimbap #gimbap