Good old friends know me so well.

A friend of mine, who I knew more than a decade, sent me a box of gom-chi (곰취), a herb derived from ligularia. As farmers hand-picked the herbs on the day my friend placed an order, the box was already filled with fresh aroma.

Gom-chi is known as a namul, seasoned veggie dish, in Spring. Unlike spinach or bok choy, it has a distinctive taste of bitterness. So it refreshes the palate after taking a few bites.

Yesterday I decided to pour hot soy sauce, seasoned with hot pepper, white vinegar and plum sauce, over the herbs to make gom-chi chang-a-chi (짱아찌). Think this process as a recipe to make pickles. You transform the veggie to a different one.

It has been more than 6 weeks since I relocated to Seoul. I am still not sure if I'd like to stay here longer, but the foodie in my tummy enjoys the break. The moment I was please with gom-chi explains how thrilled I am.

We'll see.