Kimchi is tasty, healthy and a means for connection between the generations. These qualities of Korea’s iconic side dish are celebrated in the children’s picture book “Slippery, Spicy, Tingly: A Kimchi Mystery,” written and illustrated by Yangsook Choi.
The book follows the young main character Keo when he receives an unexpected visit from his Halmoni, or grandmother. Halmoni normally visits in summer, but she arrives in the autumn this time, promising to make her special kimchi. She polishes a big clay jar and digs a hole in the backyard. The whole family then makes kimchi together — salting, slicing, seasoning and hunching over heads of cabbage that sit in large bowls on the floor.
They are taking part in the custom of kimjang, the communal activity of making large amounts of kimchi that will last over the winter. In 2013, UNESCO designated kimjang an Intangible Cultural Heritage, its list of traditions, arts and living knowledge that make a culture unique.
Keo watches Halmoni’s kimjang preparations from a distance. He’s curious, confused and at times even fearful about what she is up to. But kimchi isn’t the only thing that is slippery, spicy and tingly, nor is it the book’s only mystery.
Halmoni is often compared to kimchi, at one point giving Keo a look that is described as “extra tingly.” She says she is “well preserved” thanks to kimchi, and she even says she is a “super senior,” just as the side dish is considered by some to be a superfood.
Seen through the eyes of Keo, Halmoni is a perplexing figure. She’s often too busy to spend time with him, and she cares about “odd things.” He doesn’t believe her when she calls him her “treasure.” She is an elder he observes more than one he engages with.
That distance all disappears when they gather for kimjang, continuing throughout the winter as they eat the kimchi fermenting and stored in the giant clay jar in the backyard. Traditional activities — and kimchi — bridge the gap between the generations.
The book celebrates a custom and a dish invaluable to Korean culture, but it also tells a much larger story. In many families, love is expressed through food. People who read this book may appreciate how the family dynamics depicted in the book and the sweet childlike perspective of Keo, as he learns about this mysterious tradition and his mysterious grandmother, resonate with their own experiences.
