One day I was hungry and my stomach wouldn't stop growling...I dragged myself out to the kitchen with nothing to eat...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....

My lovely mom came to the rescue! I saw her doing this and that and I don't even remember what she was doing...and Ta-da~! She whipped up this wonderful spicy fish soup in no time which tasted amazing like she spent a whole day cooking this soup (but just spent less than 30minutes..actually it felt like she cooked in 5 min. LOL)

I love you MOM! I don't know how moms do it...moms around me ( not my moms...) just seem to be at ease and their hands moving so quickly (yet precise) and present wonderful dish that seemed effortless and taste amazing! Is it the years of experience or do they get some super powers when they become MOMS???? seriously!

I wonder if I'll ever be like that if I ever become a mom...Ta-Da....yeah...right...LOL!

I have really good memories with my mom. I always went wherever my mom went. I was my mom's "leech." I used to be (and still am *^^* ) shy that I didn't like to meet new people so I would always stick to my mom's leg to hide away from strangers. We still like to go shopping, eat, paint, or do something together whenever we can...(right mom?).

If you read my introduction, you know that I LOVE kimchi and one of my favorite mom and me memory is obviously with KIMCHI!

Well...our family used to move a lot. I mean a lot. Before I became first grade we've already moved many times moving to different city, within the city, and even across the street. We weren't running away or anything...I realized much later that my dad liked to 'move.' I even remember when I was in primary school, one day I came back from school (not knowing 'where' we've moved to but I knew we moved) and had to meet my mom in front of our previous house. It turned out that we moved to the one right across the street LOL. Hey, as if Korea wasn't big enough we came to the States. Even here...we moved many times again...even traveled across the States from West to East. We sometimes joked that we moved so many times that the number of move is greater than our age. LOL.

Anyhow... I'm sure my family moved many times before I was born (being the youngest of the family) but as far as I can remember, whenever we moved my siblings were already going to school and dad to work. Only ones left at home was my mom, me, and the piled up boxes. I loved those times. Just mom and me. There were nothing out yet and it was lunch time. If you have Korean friends, many Koreans eat Jjajangmyun when they move. I don't know why but probably because it's the most popular and traditionally delivered food?

But for my mom and me, we would just get out the small foldable round table just like the picture(since our dining table is not yet set) right in the middle of the living room and sit down only with a bowl of rice with water poured in it and old (fermented for long time) kimchi.

The key to this lunch is that you don't chop kimchi with knife. Mom would just rip kimchi in long strands with her hands and put it on my rice.

Please DO try this at home. It's tastier to rip with hands than just cut it with scissors or knife. I know it may sound too simple but to me that was the most delicious lunch I've ever had!

So intimate and so just us... and I didn't mind moving from place to place since I always got to have that special lunch with mom. (She knew I loved to do that ritual with her) Just the two of us.

I'm sure everyone has at least one or two special memories of their own. Please feel free to share.

Let's not make only one day Mother's day, but little by little everyday ^^

But we always miss homemade cooking during our busy lives. Don't we? At least I do. I really get sick of eating out and just miss homemade meals.
I miss that special taste you just can't get it from the store bought ones. I'm sure you know what I mean. Koreans call such taste mom's "Sohn Maht." Sohn means 'hand' and Maht means 'taste.' It describes the wonderful taste of homemade cooking that everyone loves. The term implies that whoever cooks for their own family, traditionally the mother of a family, transfers love and care into a unique taste while cooking (with hands). That's why your mother's cooking is always so good!! Mothers want to feed their children something healthy and tasty and we can taste her love. It's her Sohn Maht!

Even Kimchi tastes different in different households and different stores. Not only are the store bought Kimchi expensive, but they lack SohnMaht. Since I was little, I always watched her make Kimchi and I was always the one to try Kimchi first before she stuffed them. If I say OK, she starts to stuff them. Even today she asks me to try Kimchi and sometimes I help her out too. It may seem like nothing much to others but it is something I will always remember. Someday I maybe the one letting my daughter to try some first, doing the same things I did with my mom.

If you are just too busy no one will condemn you for buying one (we buy some too when we run out of Kimchi and just can't find the time to make more), but maybe once in a while making your own Kimchi could be something special for your family! Scroll down to find Kimchi recipes! Let them remember and treasure your Sohn Maht! I know I can't forget my mom's Sohn Maht.

Kimchi Recipes:
Traditional Whole Napa Cabbage Kimchi
Quick 'n Easy version Kimchi
Non Spicy American Cabbage Kimchi
Kimchi Fried Rice
Young Radish Water (YeoulMoo Mul) Kimchi
White Non-Spicy Kimchi

Kimchi Facts:

About Kimchi
Different Tastes of Kimchi
Korean Homemade Kimchi Part I-Most Popular