Man’amko take part in Kimchi Cooking Workshop

P&A Corp. and Winners Restaurant sponsored the Kimchi Cooking Workshop organized by Korean Cultural Center yesterday morning at Man’amko Center in China Town.

According to Doyi Kim, P&A vice president, the Korean Cultural Center on Tinian, led by pastor Sung Jin Ho, invited P&A to join their volunteer workshop on kimchi-making.

“Our company, P&A Corp. which operates Winners Restaurant, is always eager to participate in such special cultural activities. We also reached out to Man’amko Center to collaborate on this event, and they kindly agreed. This collaboration allowed us to enjoy the workshop together and strengthen community bonds and engagement.”

Meanwhile, Felix Nogis, executive assistant of the Carolinian Affairs Office, said that it’s part of the community outreach program on behalf of Sikto Church from Korea.

“This effort is made possible through Hong Kyun Kim (owner of Winners Corp.), which requested my assistance on something worthwhile to teach our man’amko,” he said.

Kim said that there are numerous varieties of kimchi, but the coaches from Shikdo Church Ladies Group focused on two traditional recipes. The first is traditional soaked kimchi, which is typically made for the cold season in Korea. Traditionally, this kimchi is prepared once a year and stored in the refrigerator for up to a year, during which various dishes can be made from it. The second type is fresh kimchi, which is less fermented and usually consumed immediately after preparation.

The man’amko were entertained by performances, which included traditional Korean dances set to Christian music. The performers danced to “Arirang,” a classic Korean folk song, in a rendition by BTS, the famous Korean music group.

Doyi Kim told Saipan Tribune that the performers and teachers are from Shikdo, a small island in Jeollanam-Do, Korea. The island is home to many fishermen.

“The performers, who are the coaches for this event, are the wives of these fishermen. They brought fresh fish salt from their island to use in the Kimchi-making process today,” she said.

Walter Manglona, the director of Office on Aging, said that he was approached by Nogis and that he became excited with the program because it was something new to them and knowing kimchi is a Korean staple and good for digestion.

He also mentioned when asked about the food impact of kimchi to the elders, “It’s always good that they consult their, you know, healthcare provider, their doctor, their nutritionists to be able to talk to what’s best for them, but being able to learn a new skill is definitely always something that we’re open to. We encourage them to continue learning,” he said.

The distribution of certificates of appreciation to Seon Ok Nim, Kim Hyundai Soon, Na In Hye, Lee Song Ja, Kim Jeom Im, Lee Youn Su, and pastor Park Young Bin concluded the event.

Manglona thanked all the organizations, churches, and agencies that supported the workshop.

“I just want to thank them all and I want to urge them to continue. To support our seniors…I see them as our grandparents, you know, and for all their sacrifices and everything that they’ve done for us and our community. It’s always nice to pay homage back to them, so I urge them to continue to show support and to stop by and to contribute or give back to our seniors.

The group will conduct the same workshop on Tinian on July 4 for the Tinian man’amko.