After immigrating to San Diego from South Korea, our mother, our umma, missed traditional kimchi dearly. It was a piece of home, a reminder of Jung (정).
Jung (정) is a deeply nuanced and untranslatable concept that carries a sense of emotional connection, affection, and shared experiences.
It is not just about love in a romantic sense but encompasses a wide range of feelings like warmth, care, loyalty, and attachment that develop over time through relationships, effort, and shared hardships.
It is the invisible energy and care you invest in something or someone, making it more meaningful. Going out of their way to help, support, or care for another person without expecting anything in return.
It reflects the unspoken understanding and support among family members, where they will go out of their way to help each other. In communities, it manifests as a sense of solidarity and mutual care, like neighbors helping one another in times of need.
When you try our dishes, especially our kimchi, you will realize how much ‘Jung’ (정) we put into it. So much time, dedication, passion, and effort go into serving every single dish.
We don’t just want to provide you with food that we would eat ourselves. We also aim to treat you as family, or ‘gajok’ in Korean.
As a Korean American, it is especially important to our family to share our culture and pass it on to the next generations, ensuring that they never forget their ancestors and roots.
Especially in a time when people have faster attention spans and the art of making kimchi is slowly fading away.
Our mission is not only to serve Korean food, but also to properly introduce everyone to what Korean food and culture truly is. And that is ‘Jung’(정).
