​​Kimjang and the Sharing of Kimchi

​a Korean eco-practice of sharing among neighbors
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inspired by UNESCO and EcoCiv Korea

​"Every year, Koreans all over the globe participate in kimjangs, working together to produce large batches of baechu kimchi to ensure an ample supply for long, cold winters."  It is a sign of hope for a more humane, sustainable world: an Ecological Civilization where people live with respect and care for one another and the larger community of life, with no one left behind. Large structural changes, of the kind advocated by EcoKorea (see below) begin with our appreciating small practices, undertaken by many people, that set the stage for the large ones.

These practices are not simply means to larger ends, they are modes of spirituality in their own right: ways of being connected to one another, in neighborly ways, that transcend the callousness of linear economics, moving toward more circular economies where, in the words of Dr. Keunhwa Jung, "the social economy and the shared economy based on the local community can become the main agents." Local practices such as kimjang might also be relevant to early childhood education,  Dr. Yunjeong Han puts it well: "The values of progressive education" promote "cooperation rather than competition, ways to acquire knowledge instead of knowledge itself, and education that fosters creativity and ecological literacy." I cannot help but wonder if, in some small way, the very practice of kimjang, if done creatively as part of an educational project among children, might foster that very cooperation, creativity, and ecological literacy, of which she speaks. One thing for sure, the outcome of the practice, kimchi itself in its countless varieties, is delicious, and there's a powerful place for deliciousness in a just and sustainable world. In he spiritual alphabet used by the Cobb Institute (see below), "C" is for connection and "J" is for both justice and joy.

- Jay McDaniel, 8/13/2022

* dialogue between Dr, Kenunhwa Jung and Dr. Yunjeong Han, offered by EcoCiv Korea

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

EcoCiv Korea
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EcoCiv Korea works with partners in South Korea and around the world to promote a new paradigm for ecological civilization. Ecological Civilization envisions all human societies to embrace sustainable transitions for all life. The great human civilization achieved tremendous developments in human history on earth. However, there are some omits that our civilization left with ignorance and irresponsibility. The desire for unlimited developments and possessions led us to exploit and destroy nature beyond its point of resilience. All human civilization must take these warnings seriously and need to take a rapid and fundamental transition in how to live on earth as humans. The transition that we are envisioning is not limited in ecological studies or environmental movements. It would be about all aspects of collective human society as a civilization. We need a civilizational transitioning for the future. In order to achieve our vision the Institute for Ecological Civilization in Korea is sharing a vision by connecting with scholars, activists, governments, and politicians, in Korea and beyond.

EcoCiv Korea는 생태 문명의 새로운 패러다임을 홍보하기 위해 한국과 전세계의 파트너들과 함께 협력하고 있습니다. 생태 문명은 모든 인간 사회가 모든 생명을 위한 지속 가능한 전환을 포용하는 것을 구상합니다. 위대한 인류 문명은 지구상의 인류 역사에서 엄청난 발전을 이루었습니다. 그러나 우리 문명은 무지와 무책임으로 인해 남겨진 몇 가지 오점이 있습니다. 무한한 발전과 소유물에 대한 욕망은 우리로 하여금 자연의 회복력의 한계를 넘어 자연을 착취하고 파괴하게 만들었습니다. 모든 인류 문명은 이러한 경고를 심각하게 받아들여야 하며 인간으로서 지구에서 어떻게 살아야 하는지에 대한 신속하고 근본적인 전환을 할 필요가 있습니다. 우리가 구상하고 있는 전환은 생태학 연구나 환경 운동에 국한되지 않습니다. 그것은 하나의 문명으로서의 집단적인 인간 사회의 모든 측면에 관한 것입니다. 우리는 미래를 위한 문명의 전환이 필요합니다. 한국 생태 문명 연구소는 이러한 비전을 달성하기 위해 국내 외 학자와 시민 운동가, 정부, 정치인과 연계하여 비전을 공유하고 있습니다.
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Click here to visit the EcoCiv Korea program website in Korean. 

An ecological civilization can seem like a very big idea, almost impossible to reach. But it begins in small and beautiful ways, with people sharing one another and living in harmony with the earth, to the best of their abilities. Kimjang is an eco-civ practice well worth sharing with the world.  One of many gifts from Korea.

A Tribute from UNESCO
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 Kimchi and kimjang have become so inextricably linked with Korean cuisine and culture that UNESCO included kimjang in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013, noting that kimjang is a way for Koreans to “practice the spirit of sharing among neighbors, while promoting solidarity and providing them with a sense of identity and belonging.”
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Kimchi is the Korean name for preserved vegetables seasoned with spices and fermented seafood. It forms an essential part of Korean meals, transcending class and regional differences. The collective practice of Kimjang reaffirms Korean identity and is an excellent opportunity for strengthening family cooperation. Kimjang is also an important reminder for many Koreans that human communities need to live in harmony with nature. Preparation follows a yearly cycle. In spring, households procure shrimp, anchovy and other seafood for salting and fermenting. In summer, they buy sea salt for the brine. In late summer, red chili peppers are dried and ground into powder. Late autumn is Kimjang season, when communities collectively make and share large quantities of kimchi to ensure that every household has enough to sustain it through the long, harsh winter. Housewives monitor weather forecasts to determine the most favourable date and temperature for preparing kimchi. Innovative skills and creative ideas are shared and accumulated during the custom of exchanging kimchi among households. There are regional differences, and the specific methods and ingredients used in Kimjang are considered an important family heritage, typically transmitted from a mother-in-law to her newly married daughter-in-law.

UNESCO: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/kimjang-making-and-sharing-kimchi-in-the-republic-of-korea-00881

Images from the Cultural Heritage Foundation: Republic of Korea, 2015

​Ecological Civilization

From the Cobb Institute for Community and Practice

Preparing Food as a Spiritual Practice

In process theology is not escape from the world. It is the act of being enspirited or enlivened by healthy ways of being related to other people, to the natural world, and to the heavens. It is a form of harmony and intensity. Understood in this way, spirituality includes many qualities of heart and mind: connection (friendship), playfulness, compassion, respect, gratitude, joy, and faith, or fidelity to the bonds of relationship. But we humans do not simply generate these qualities in a vacuum. We do not dream them into existence. They emerge as byproducts of our practical activities in the world: our making food and sharing it with one another.

Process and Spirituality Presentation by Jared Morningstar