therealbrandonwilson

asked me whether the

kimchi

I made with my mom is better than I've had previously. The answer is yes.

Taste-wise it's about the same as what my mom has always made, and I'd peg her as an above average kimchi maker. So this kimchi maybe not the best in the world, but above average. Better than what I can get at a typical

Korean

grocer or restaurant by a long shot. But that has nothing to do with me. I was following the direction of my mom. We'll get to find out whether I can recreate it next time when I'm fermenting solo. But beyond taste, this kimchi is better than previous kimchi because of other reasons. From the first bite I had a big smile on my face. My dad and I were sitting at the table eating it.

These days I get more out of making than I do consuming. I remember few years back not wanting to do anything productive and just wanting to be free to just consume things. Making was seen as a chore... a distraction from the real purpose of life, which was consumption!!! These days I believe my favorite situation is being deeply dedicated to making something that I can both share with others and consume on my own.

But given how much I've changed these past years who knows. Maybe in a few years time I'll declare that

hedonism

is the point of life. I'm open to that. But I'm not betting.