Kim, Courtney

Hi! My name is Courtney (she/her) and I am a fourth year student majoring in Anthropology: Climate Change and Human Solutions. 

Since I was born in the U.S., eating Korean food is one of the biggest ways I connect with my heritage. Food is extremely important in Korean culture. Rather than asking a loved one, "How are you?" when greeting them, Koreans often ask, "Have you eaten yet?" 

When thinking about Korean food, most Americans may imagine Korean barbecue. In actuality, Korean food is all about 반찬 (banchan), small shared side dishes that are usually made with vegetables, and 찌개 (jjigae)/국 (guk)/탕 (tang), stew/soup. The most famous and important 반찬 is 김치 (kimchi), which is salted and fermented cabbage, radish, or other vegetables with a variety of seasonings such as Korean chili flakes, fermented shrimp, garlic, ginger, and spring onion.