I don’t know about you, but I’m having a problem with kimchi. It’s too hot these days. That is, its heat is off-putting. I’m speaking about the kimchi I buy at Korean and other Asian stores in Chicago. I’ve not completed an empirical study of kimchi across the globe. This wonder food now finds its way to many corners of the globe, not just America. However, it’s too hot these days.

When I first started eating kimchi, I knew nothing about it. I thought it tasted peculiar, but the taste and flavors grew on me. I figured out how to eat it with other foods. I found that kimchi agreed with me better when it was consumed with vegetables, rice or meats – not as a separate side dish. While of course one can eat kimchi all on its own, and I do that, it’s not really the idea. I had the same tendency as a child – to eat my side dishes on their own.

However, for the last five years, at least half the........

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