Kimchi Princess prepares Bibimbap
Translated, Bibimbap means "mixed rice," which is the main ingredient in this dish that can be eaten either vegetarian or with meat. Young-Mi Snowden-Park serves it up at her restaurant, Kimchi Princess.
A Kreuzberg original
"I was walking by and thought it was really cool that it didn't look like a restaurant. I fell in love right away. It looked terrible - everything was orange, tiles. It looked worse because of how it was decorated. But the architecture was fascinating - and the fact that it has two stories. It was love at first sight." - Young-Mi Snowden-Park
The real Kimchi Princess
Kimchi Princess was what friends of Young-Mi Snowden-Park nicknamed her. It was a play on words with the name of the fermented cabbage dish, Kimchi, which is served with every meal in Korea. The name for her restaurant came quickly.
A learning experience
"In the beginning, I had guests here who would ask: 'Where is Korea, actually?' Or 'What is Korea?' They had no idea. And now, I think in the last four years, 50 Korean restaurants have opened in Berlin. That's a great feeling for me, that it's finally arrived." - Young-Mi Snowden-Park
With spoon and chopsticks
In contrast to other Asian countries, rice is eaten in Korea with a spoon. You use chopsticks only for th side dishes. The rice (bap) is the basis of every Korean meal. The word even is used as a synonym in Korea for eating altogether: when Koreans ask each other if they have eaten lunch, they simply ask, "Have you eaten rice?"
Korean power eating
"It looks wonderful when you have it served to you. Soup is eaten with Bibimbap. And what's important is that everything is seasoned with a paste and then mixed well with a spoon. Many guests doesn't trust themselves to do it, because it looks so good. They simply don't want to ruin the appearance. But it really is part of the meal." - Young-Mi Snowden-Park