Highlights include a documentary screening and kimchi cooking
Locals experienced the Korean tradition of making and sharing of kimchi as part of the 7th annual Kimjang Festival on 22 November at New Malden Methodist Church.
Festival organiser Justina Jang began a cookery workshop with a talk on the history of kimchi and Kimjang.
The Kimjang festival was born out of the tradition of Koreans making large quantity of fermented vegetables to survive the long winter months.
“Everyone would share their recipes and create their own versions of kimchi. That’s more Kimjang,” said Jang. “It’s very community oriented and the quantity of kimchi we had to make for the household, we really had to work with the neighbours.”
Jang said the wider cultural context of Kimjang was in the act of looking after each other.
Kimchi, a healthy prebiotic, is reputed to have health benefits, including aiding weight loss, boosting the immune system, and improving mood.
Fellow cooking instructor Cindy Robert, founder of the Korean Pantry, a London-based online food business, discovered Korean cuisine during her time in South Korea.
Robert explained that a good kimchi was dependent on the quality of vegetables.
“I will not recommend any recipe where they ask you to use the leftover vegetables that you have at the back of the fridge. No, that is a recipe for disaster,” said Robert.
Robert and Jang guided attendees through the kimchi-making process. The groups used their hands to mix sliced spring onion, garlic, ginger and radish with gochugaru sauce.
The cooking was part of a wider celebration of Asian culture representing the Korean community in Southwest London.
The event also had stalls displaying various Korean products including Christmas desserts, cards, jewelleries, skin care packages and traditional ginseng tea. It also exhibited traditional Korean garments (Hanbok) for women and children.
One of the main highlights of the event was the first screening of the documentary “Finding Home”, directed by Edward Till, which shares the personal journeys of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) individuals who have made Kingston their home.
The film explored the challenges of migration and adapting to a new life in the borough, while preserving their own culture and heritage.
The short featured Carol Lee, Elizabeth Park, Ericka Vallido, Myeongsook Jeon and Yuwing Wong, who shared their stories of leaving home and coming to Kingston.
The Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Noel Hadjimichael, said that the documentary showcased the diverse population of Kingston.
“There are people who have come from both South Korea and North Korea to this borough. Kingston is a place where they can be together as a community,” he said.
The event was organised by the Korean British Cultural Exchange (KBCE), a registered charity dedicated to promoting Korean culture in the UK, in conjunction with Kingston Council.
Councillor Mike Massimi said that the Council wanted to connect the local British community with Korean culture.
He said: “We had lots of volunteers which was very useful. The event takes a lot of organisations and KBCE’s Jang is extremely good at organising any type of events.”
Reflecting on the origins of the event, Jang said: “The Council approached me and they wanted to do something in Kingston because there are lots of Korean people living here. So, I said let’s do something together, make something small but meaningful. And that’s how we started it.”
