Harin Park
The pleasing aroma of traditional Korean food spreads through the air as women busy themselves by making the food for the family with increasing groans of tiredness. Men and kids, on the other hand, rarely take part in this somewhat rigorous cooking process. Yes, this very portrayal of "patriarchy" is how Koreans spend their Chinese New Year.
Korea has a long history of Confucianism--its core concepts being respecting the elders and men in the household--and various delicious, almost heavenly, traditional foods. Interestingly, the Korean celebration of the Lunar New Year is where these two seemingly unrelated things overlap, creating a fascinating harmony.
First of all, the concept of respecting the elders is shown through the traditional bowing ceremony of saebae, where younger people bow to the elders and the elders bless them in return. Secondly, the Korean Lunar New Year boils down to nothing much without the tasty traditional dishes cooked by the ladies, and the ladies only; this is where the long history of Korea’s patriarchal society appears through the culture--men hardly participate in any food preparation.
Now one may ask, “Well, what’s the big deal? Cooking is a daily job for most women anyway.” However, his or her mind will be blown away with the complicated and exhausting procedures of making traditional Korean dishes.
For those who would ask this question, here is a glimpse of a typical scenario during the Chinese New Year for Korean families:
On the day before Chinese New Year, Korean moms wake up early in the morning to go to the market accompanied by their daughters (if they are lucky). They shop for all the ingredients they need, carry extra batches of meat and vegetables than usual, and load them in their cars, marking the beginning of the disaster to be faced.
After they get home, they start preparing the ingredients; they wash all the vegetables, cut them into the right sizes, and marinade the meat. Then, the prepared ingredients are kept in the fridge for the big day.
As the bright sun of the next day comes up, the moms get ready for their wars. They arm themselves with chopsticks, spoons, and spatulas, and then they call for help from their allies again: their daughters. Together, the moms and the daughters launch for the fight. They mix the ingredients in humongous bowls and fry them in pieces for hours after hours, cooking a variety of equally mouthwatering dishes. They groan as their back pains worsen from sitting down on the floor and cooking for too long. The once appetizing foods are not very appealing anymore, as they get sick of their smell.
Meanwhile, men and children stay away from the war and enjoy their jolly holiday, conversing with each other and playing the traditional Korean game, yootnori. The tired women give them envious looks, but the men indulge in too much fun that they cannot notice those fierce glances.
After the ladies finally finish their sacred quest of cooking, the family gathers around the table and share the food in celebration of the new year. The food is also shared with neighbors to pass on the happiness and joy.
Though their bodies nearly crumble down with tiredness, seeing the smiles on their family’s and neighbors' faces as they enjoy the food makes the ladies’ hearts melt with a warm joy.
A daughter of a Korean family, Yerin Park (10) had to go through this process twice, once with their family and once again with her friends. With her mom and sisters, especially, she cooked for eight hours on the day of Chinese New Year. She described, “The process seemed endless. We were so tired that we took a nap when we were halfway done. Still, it was all worth it because I saw the bright smiles on my family’s faces as we sat around the table and ate the food together.”
After all, it seems that love for the family and joy of the new year far outweigh the bodily fatigue of Korean women.
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