At almost any Korean restaurant in Dallas, the small dishes arrive (banchan) before you’ve finished reading the menu. There might be bean sprouts in sesame oil, pickled radish, and a little dish of fish cake. In the middle of the table, without fail, there’s a dish of kimchi.
Most Dallas diners have eaten it by now. It shows up on burgers, in fried rice, and on tacos. But kimchi is bigger than the red, spicy cabbage most of us picture. In Korea, it’s a whole category of food, a centuries-old way of preserving vegetables, and a seasonal ritual that families still plan their calendars around.
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