Spicy November

Nature is ever wondrous and magnificent. If you look closely you can see a herd of "ajummas" or as some may call them, the unmateable. Here you can see the "ajummas" doing their mating ritual, also known as kimchi making, but alas these females are past their prime, as is every woman over 30, and find their hard work has gone to waste leaving them tired, cranky, and with sharp elbows.

In all seriousness.....
Koreans call the eleventh month of the year "Spicy November" because it's kimchi making season. It's when napa cabbage is at its peak and the time has come.

Usually, a family gets together to begin the long process of making kimchi, but let's be realistic, when I say family I mean the females int he family because Korea is still traditionally conservative when it comes to male and female roles. Meaning, they like to keep the women in the kitchen, pregnant, and without a job. (Hey, I don't like it either, but it's starting to slowly change.)

They gather, they pink glove it up, they slather and pack it away. Then, they will have kimchi for every meal of every day for the next year, until it is "Spicy November" once again. That's when the process will repeat itself until they all die. ;)

If you'd like an actual recipe, please go to another entry How to Make Kimchi.