Economic indicators are positive and unemployment is falling but South Koreans are still grappling with a threat to their well-being — a kimchi crisis.
Freak weather this year has sent the price of Chinese cabbage, its basic ingredient, soaring leaving many consumers grumbling about the rising cost of the iconic side dish.
Grandmother Lee Seong-Ryuh had made her family’s kimchi for decades until she stopped doing so a few days ago, Thursday’s JoongAng Daily reported.
Photo: EPA
“I was waiting for the outrageous price of cabbage to fall but it kept rising instead,” she told the paper.
“I had no choice but to buy pre-packaged kimchi (made before the price rise), which is a far better bargain right now.”
The paper said Chinese cabbage has risen in price from 2,480 won (US$2.10) per 2.5kg on Aug. 25 to 11,500 won (US$10.16) on Sept. 29.
Company cafeterias have cut down on the amount they offer workers and some restaurants charge for kimchi refills.
Even the presidential Blue House has been hit. President Lee Myung-Bak has switched from kimchi made from Chinese cabbages to European cabbages, Yonhap news agency reported.
“Chinese cabbage is grown mostly in mountainous regions and needs steady, cool weather to grow well,” Yoon Young-Chul of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation told JoongAng.
“This year’s weather, which constantly alternated between rain and heat, has ruined lots of crops.”
The food ministry is working on countermeasures to the price rises.
Kimchi, a spicy mixture of pickled cabbage, radish and cucumbers, has its own museum in Seoul and an annual festival. It was even blasted into space with the country’s first astronaut in 2008. (AFP)
縱然南韓的各項指標都呈正向發展,並且失業率也下降,但是南韓人正與威脅他們福利的泡菜危機搏鬥。
今年怪異的天氣讓大白菜,泡菜的主原料,價格飆漲,使許多消費者抱怨最具代表性菜餚的價格上漲。
韓國星期四的中央日報報導,李世麗老奶奶為家人做泡菜已有數十年,但最近幾天她停止這項工作。
她告訴中央日報,「我等待飆升的菜價降下來,但價格反而一直在漲。」
「除了購買價格便宜的包裝泡菜(價格飆漲之前做好的)之外,我別無選擇。」
該報表示,大白菜的價格從八月二十五日的每二點五公斤二千四百八十韓圓(約二點一零美元),漲到九月二十九日的一萬一千五百韓圓(十點一六美元)。
公司的餐廳也削減供給員工的泡菜量,而有些餐廳也針對顧客添補泡菜收費。
韓國聯合通訊社報導,這個現象就連青瓦台也遭波及。以往吃大白菜做的泡菜的總統李明博,現在也改吃歐洲白菜做的泡菜
國家農業合作聯盟的尹永哲告訴中央日報,「白菜大多生長在多山地帶,需要穩定、寒冷的氣候才能長好。」
「今年的天氣,要不是下雨就是氣溫高,毀了不少農作物。」
糧食當局正擬定價格飆漲對策。
泡菜是個醃漬白菜、白蘿蔔,與小黃瓜混合而成的辣味食物。首爾有一座泡菜博物館,南韓每年也有泡菜節。泡菜也於二零零八年,跟著南韓第一位太空人上太空。 (法新社/翻譯:吳岱璟)
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