Mom is making quarantine kimchee and talking about how she “operates” as she inspects and trims the cabbage.

Here’s the quartered and salted lettuce.

We’re finally done inspecting, quartering, one salt rinse, then salting between all the leaf layers of a box of Napa cabbage. My arm for scale on the bowl. We’ll let it sit for ~3 hours. #quarantinekimchee #kimjang #김장

I never noticed before— she was particular about halving and quartering the cabbage — cutting only through the white parts, then pulling apart the rest so the leaves tear apart.

In Korean it’s: “where the knife lives.” I’d not heard that expression before (and could be wrong.) You heavily salt the white harder bits of the cabbage to prime it.

Dad just walked by to note: “Mom makes really good kimchee these days.” That’s all.

Intermission: Cherry trees (I think?) in bloom. It’s spring.

Now we’re rinsing the cabbage. V carefully between the leaves, one by one. “You just watch.” I am not trusted with this, apparently.