Kimchi Making
by David Baik
Johns Hopkins University
David Baik is a junior at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Writing Seminars. Outside of class, he serves as a Sports Editor for his school paper. Quirk is his first time being published!
Kimchi Making
Squatting and hunched over
Two plastic basins, my mom
And grandma take a rinsed
Cabbage leaf and massage
A blood red paste of garlic,
Pickled shrimp, fish sauce,
Ginger, and chili powder into
Its green and white crevices.
By the time they finish, their
Pink rubber gloves look fresh
From a cesarean, and my
Grandma has told the same
Story three times about how
She buried kimchi-filled crocks
With her own mom in Busan,
But it never seems to get old.
Interview with the Poet
1. What was your inspiration for this piece?
This poem was written for a seminar I took last semester. The prompt was to write about food. One of the first things I thought about was when my grandmother would come visit during summers. I remembered the fanfare of buying napa cabbage and all the other ingredients at our local Asian grocery and the basins sprawled across the kitchen floor, so I wanted to write a poem that captures these memories.
2. What is your creative process? (How do you go about writing or creating?)
Once I have an idea, I tend to go through multiple drafts before going through the process of trying to pare it down as much as possible. I like to have a cup of coffee on hand and prefer to be in the quiet of my room. Whenever I get stuck, I go for walks or read other poems, waiting for an idea will surface.
3. What are some influences on your artistic process?
My poetry professors have helped me to pay more attention to the shape of the poem on the page and its diction; I am greatly indebted to them. Some of my favorite poets include W.H. Auden, Philip Larkin, and Elizabeth Bishop. While it’s no small task to emulate these writers, I hope that by reading them, their influence will take hold of me.