New Malden celebrated international Kimchi Day (22 November) on Saturday in traditional style – with kimchi making classes in the Methodist Church Hall and with kimchi pancakes in the Malden Centre.
In the church hall, participants were given a chance to sample the kimchi made by kimchi master Lee Ha Yeon at the classes held the previous week in the Korean Community Centre in Raynes Park. The whole event was well-organised, with kimchi ambassador and long-standing promoter of Korean culture Justina Jang presiding, and the tuition given by Cindy Robert, chef patron of Korean Pantry. In the church itself, visitors were learning dance moves from K-pop Demon Hunters, and in the foyer there were stalls selling ginseng drinks.
Across the road in the Malden Centre Councillor Kim – also a kimchi ambassador – was presiding over a kimchi pancake fry-up with makgeolli: a perfect combination given the miserably cold and wet November weather outside.
But the day started with something that doesn’t happen every year: the unveiling of a railway station sign in Hangul. Councillor Kim commented: “The signage is not only for Korean speakers. It is a message to the world that New Malden is a place that welcomes cultures, embraces diversity and looks confidently to the future.”
Meanwhile, Councillor Elizabeth Park had uploaded a video to the council website in which she shares a little about kimchi’s benefits and why it holds such a special place in Korean culture.
Happy Kimchi Day.