Making kimchi with my mother is one of my fondest food memories. I remember squatting on our kitchen floor and assisting my mom as she prepared this complex dish. She would meticulously chop and assemble all of the ingredients and narrate what she was doing. After what seemed like hours of work, my mom would pop a tiny cabbage leaf dredged in the kimchi paste into my mouth and ask me what I thought about the flavors. I loved the fresh and briny cabbage, the complex kimchi paste, and being hand-fed by my mother. Most of all, I loved that mother bestowed a significant responsibility on me—taste testing. I felt so valued, and it was not lost on me that my opinion would impact the outcome of the flavors of the kimchi we made.