Beth Salerno

Reminders

May 25, 2009 Author: Beth Salerno

This week I had two sharp reminders of my time in South Korea.  The first was unpleasant.  The former President of South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, jumped to his death last weekend.  President Roh was serving when I arrived in Korea and his face was a daily presence in my morning newspaper.  To see his face over such horrible news was discordant.  There is a picture of one of the 31 official government mourning altars, filled with white chrysanthemums, at http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/05/26/200905260052.asp .  I think it says a great deal about rapidly changing Korea that the parents are performing traditional ancestral bows before President Roh’s photograph while the younger Koreans are simply standing with their heads bowed.  As you can see in the picture of him, President Roh was still fairly young (62 I believe).  Koreans seem to be in shock.  They have my sympathy.

My other reminder was more joyful, less newsworthy and very simple.  A colleague from Pyeongtaek University who came to the U.S. gave me seeds for a common Korean plant - kaenip.  This is sometimes translated as sesame leaf or perilla but does not seem to be either.  It is commonly eaten raw, usually wrapped around a piece of hot grilled meat.  It has a slightly lemony, very tangy taste unlike anything else.

The seeds all germinated and I now have a dozen plants at varying stages of growth.  It seems to need a lot of water and really dislikes cold temperatures (much like basil I suspect).  So I am babying it before I expose it to my May NH garden (our last frost date is June 15!).  But I’ve already torn off a few leaves when I want the smell and taste of Korea.  And I’m looking forward to the 4 foot tall plants providing enough leaves for a party, with grilled meat and gochujang (hot Korean pepper paste). 

In one month, I will have been home a full year.  (I returned from Korea in late June 2008).  Sometimes the experience feels terribly far away, as if it happened to someone else.  But news stories, where I “know” all the people and understand the issues, can immediately bring me back.   Kaenip leaves apparently have the same effect, tasting of evenings shared with colleagues over good food and drink. 

Entry Filed under: politics, History, Food