Kimchi For the 21st Century? Read On.....

It was reported by the Los Angeles Times yesterday that many new developments are taking place in the realm of Korea's traditional hot and spicy pickled cabbage.

What is most interesting is that there is an entire scientific research bureau, the Kimchi Research Institute, devoted to researching the healing and therapeutic effects of the national delicacy from the Hermit Kingdom. All of which raises the question: what do they know that we don't?

Among other new and interesting developments: Kimchi has been shown to lower stress among mice fed on the fiery pickle, special anti aging, anti obesity and anti cancer kimchi is being developed by the Kimchi Research Institute, and there are literally thousands of books and doctoral dissertations on the subject. The counter to that is that people who regularly consume large quantities of kimchi are more likely to develop gastric cancer at rates ten times higher than here in the states.

The scientific establishment in Korea has also developed a special blend of kimchi that will be provided for the delectation of future astronauts who will travel to space aboard a Russian Soyuz in 2008 to the International Space Station. One can only hope that the other residents of the space station are provided with the appropriate level of protection from the resulting....ahem....fumes.

Koreans, it seems, take their national passion very seriously indeed, as befits a serious and hard working group of people who have done a lot with a very little.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-kimchi21may21,0,2559692.story?coll=la-home-headlines