How Rice Defined Korea's Changing Generations
Today, I bought some packages of frozen shrimp fried rice at the market. When I got home, I put it in the microwave, waited a few minutes, and had a warm meal... with other side dishes. It was so simple that I hardly gave it a second thought. But as I was eating, something suddenly occurred to me. That one bowl of fried rice took me back to the kitchen of my childhood — a kitchen that was very different from the one I have today. The Era of Poverty, Smoke, and Firewood In post - war Korea, life was fiercely difficult. Poverty touched almost every home, and modern conveniences simply didn't exist. Finding provisions was hard enough, and turning them into a meal was just as laborious. In Korea, bap (cooked rice) has never been merely food. It is the fuel of life, the heart of our culture, and the very symbol of survival. Back then, making rice wasn't just cooking—it was manual labor from start to finish. First came the fuel. Men and young boys would hike deep into the nearby...