It Became a Symbol of the Bronze Age - Chapter 290



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Episode 290. Back to Seorabeolbu (1)

Before leaving Hanho.

I’m thinking of giving him a gift.

“Where is the cabbage?”

“Here it is. It’s been pickled in salt all day.”

“Yeah. Good job.”

I looked at the ‘cabbage’ of this era.

This one was brought from the Central Plains, but by 21st century standards, it is more appropriate to call it ‘cheonggyeongchae’ rather than ‘cabbage’ because it is small in size. (In fact, cabbage and cheonggyeongchae are the same plant, just with different degrees of improvement.)

And of course, this pickled cabbage is not kimchi. Kimchi contains protein, namely salted seafood.

Do we have salted seafood in this day and age?

Of course there is.

In the Central Plains, a type of salted meat called ‘hae’ has been around since the Shang Dynasty. The skill of making salted meat is so excellent that even people can make it.

And if what is famous in the Central Plains is salted meat,

On the Korean Peninsula.

“I brought some salted clams.”

Salted clams are famous.

Among the relics of the Neolithic Age, comb-patterned pottery with lids is often excavated. And scholars assume that these lids were tools for fermentation.

That is, salted clams have been around since the Neolithic Age.

“How do you make this pickled seafood?”

“First, gather a lot of clams and drain the water. Boil the clam broth until lukewarm and pour it over the clams. After that, close the lid of the pot and you can eat it for a long time.”

It’s a cooking method that has been around since the Neolithic Age.

In some ways, this pickled seafood dish could be said to be the oldest food on the Korean Peninsula.

“Okay. Pour some salted seafood on top of this.”

I stirred the crushed garlic and salted seafood over the salted cabbage. Then, a pungent smell tickled my nose.

‘How many times have I made this?’

Thanks to Guan-o, salt became widely available and cabbage was imported, so I often made kimchi like this.

To be honest, it was a strange thing to call kimchi. It felt more like pickled vegetables.

That goes without saying.

Because one of the most important ingredients of kimchi, garlic, is missing.

But now?

“Bring me the crushed garlic.”

“Here it is!”

Also, this time I added a little garlic that I imported directly from Egypt. I brought it from Seorabeolbu.

‘Garlic, salted seafood, cabbage.’

It doesn’t have red pepper powder, but that’s okay. Even in the 21st century, there is kimchi that doesn’t have red pepper, like white kimchi.

And, it’s not like there are no substitutes for chili peppers.

“Bring me some red roses.”

The safflower is also called safflower.

It is literally a red flower, but it has a slightly spicy flavor. It was often used in temple and royal cuisine of Joseon to add a spicy flavor when there was no chili pepper.

I carefully picked off the safflower petals and sprinkled them on the cabbage. After plating it like that, it looked really appetizing.

“…You’re finishing it off.”

Around that point.

A fragrant scent wafted across my nose.

“It looks like boiled pork and rice are ready. And… something called ramen.”

In the distance, in a cast-iron cauldron, boiled pork (they say pork, but it is actually as big as your arm. In this day and age, pigs and cabbages are still small) and rice are being prepared.

So, I went into Hanho’s room with the food I had prepared. Hanho smiled.

“Is this the kimchi that future Koreans can’t live without?”

“Yes, brother. By the way, how about the second son?”

“I don’t want to eat the food you make.”

“…I didn’t make it. I just gave instructions.”

“But still, isn’t your cooking skill the worst in Asadal along with Da-rae?”

Hmm, I don’t know if I should feel bad about being compared to Da-rae or if I should express my condolences to Eul-ji again.

“Besides, it might be uncomfortable to talk about it. I guess Joongsoo knew that and that’s why he didn’t come.”

I often talked about the future with Hanho. In the first place, Hanho was the only person I could talk to.

And Hanho showed more interest in the three foods I mentioned than anything else.

“Ramen, coffee, and kimchi, right?”

“Yes, and the ramen will be here soon.”

“…Fried noodles and eaten. It’s so luxurious. And they even put that expensive safflower powder in it.”

“Haha, I have that much money.”

Making Asadal-style ramen is easy.

Make noodles with flour.

Fry this in oil once. (Oil is expensive.)

Then, add dried safflower powder as a substitute for red pepper powder. (It’s so damn expensive.)

It is made by boiling kelp and garlic in a broth made from beef bones (this is relatively cheap).

After making it like that, the color and everything reminded me of 21st century instant ramen. The taste… honestly, it was completely different.

‘It’s not spicy at all.’

I thought Honghwa would be spicy, but it doesn’t seem to be as spicy as chili peppers. The mild flavor of Jinhan Ramen would be much spicier than this.

but.

“…Ugh, is this spicy?”

Hanho’s reaction is a bit unexpected.

“Somehow, it’s different from the spicy taste of garlic. Besides, large garlic seems to be several times spicier than garlic.”

There are usually two elements that create spiciness.

Allicin and capsaicin.

In the case of allicin, it is found in garlic and chives. And it is more abundant in garlic than chives. For people of this era, when chives were the spiciest food they had ever eaten, this alone is spicy enough.

In addition, I also added safflower. I’m not sure if it contains capsaicin, but it is said to be spicy.

‘… Honestly, I can’t feel it.’

It’s not like it’s spicy, but I’m not sure if it’s really spicy. It reminds me of my foreign friends.

‘Those guys couldn’t even eat fried udon or spaghetti.’

When a foreigner asks, “Is this spicy?” a Korean answers, “This is not very spicy.”

But in fact, this is the wrong question. When foreigners ask, “Is this spicy?”, they are not asking about the level of spiciness. They are asking about whether the spiciness is included.

That’s why my foreign friends don’t eat food that people say is ‘not very spicy’. They know that if they do, they’ll end up being left behind.

But often, that wasn’t the case.

For example, when I was a graduate student.

-Hey, Jooyong. Is this spicy?

When my friend asked me that question while I was serving fried udon, I answered.

-Not spicy at all.

-Isn’t it less spicy?

-It’s not spicy at all. I haven’t heard of anything spicy.

-Okay, okay, thank you.

So my foreign friend put his spoon into the fried udon… after a while.

-Kwaaak! You tricked me!

After drinking a lot of water, he glared at me with resentful eyes.

-It’s not spicy! It’s not spicy!

To be honest, I felt bad so I bought a lot of CoolXs.

I was confused too. I really didn’t know that fried udon could be spicy?

And after a while, my foreign friend said,

-Koreans can feel the spiciness of the macro, but they don’t know the micro-spiciness. That’s why the Korean stock market is like that.

… It was a good time to learn that even foreign countries knew that the Korean stock market was a mess.

Anyway, Hanho looked exactly like that right now.

“…Ahem, it’s spicy.”

“Would you like some water?”

“Not to that extent….”

Hanho didn’t look for water even though he was sweating profusely. It’s very Hanho-like that he still looks so cool even though he’s over 70 years old.

“I guess I have to endure this much, okay….”

“Would you like some kimchi?”

“No, I said it’s spicy, so why kimchi? Besides, they’re both salty.”

“When you have a stomachache after eating something spicy, eating some kimchi will make the spiciness go down smoothly….”

Isn’t it ‘common sense’ to eat salty kimchi with salty ramen?

“The future you live in… So, my descendants, do they all have lost their tongues?”

But perhaps this common sense did not apply in this day and age, Hanho just mumbled and swallowed the boiled pork to relieve the spiciness.

***

So after the ramen, kimchi, and boiled pork time was over.

What I was planning to prepare next was.

“…Bring me some Korean paper. And a mortar to grind the fruit.”

It’s coffee. It’s not from a planted coffee tree, but from dried seeds that are too twisted to be planted.

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But that wish did not come true.

“No, that’s fine.”

“…yes?”

“Okay.”

Hanho refused.

Suddenly, I said that because I thought the shock from kimchi and ramen was too great.

“This isn’t spicy. It’s not spicy at all.”

“No, that’s not why.”

“Is it because of the taste? I brew coffee well. The professor also said that I am very good at brewing coffee.”

“Professor, I was wondering why that person’s story never came up.”

Hanho laughed.

“What did he say his name was?”

Professor’s name?

Why are you suddenly asking that?

“…Your surname is Lee, and your given name is Baek-gyeol. You have a different real name, but you said you changed it when you got older. Your original name wasn’t very good.”

“Two hundred and twenty. That’s right, that’s right.”

Hanho made a mysterious expression for a moment.

Are you trying to sneakily filter the coffee?

“…Please, at least put some in your mouth to see the sincerity you brought, Brother Hanho.”

“I’m not trying to disrespect your sincerity. I’m not worried about the taste. I don’t mind if it’s spicy. The kimchi and ramen you brought were spicy, but I ate them all, right?”

“Yes.”

“The reason I ate that happily was because you prepared it for me… but also because it’s food for my descendants to eat. But coffee… isn’t that what it is?”

Hanho said.

“That hasn’t been commercialized yet. Right?”

“That’s… that’s right, brother.”

“Yes. In order for that to be commercialized, you need to occupy Heukgaek Island and the large islands. In your terms, it’s ‘Ryukyu’ and ‘Taiwan.’”

Hanho said.

“Take those two areas and plant the coffee tree that I brought. When the tree grows high into the sky and produces endless red beans, then I will drink this ‘coffee.’”

Well, I get the general feeling.

Because I did that too.

‘That’s what kimchi was like.’

When I first imported cabbage, I didn’t make kimchi. It was the same when I took over the salt-producing Burunabu.

Because I wanted to eat them after they were commercialized. And now, that’s it. Cabbage is still growing in some places, although not widely.

As Asadal’s farmland expanded, there was more space to plant vegetables in addition to grains.

Salt also spread widely in Asadal because Gwan-o had laid out salt fields well near Haedongseong. It was at that time that I started making kimchi, even if it was just bismurim.

And the same goes for Hanho.

“…You wanted to eat it, didn’t you?”

“That’s right. I want to try it now. For my future descendants. And, because you ate it like crazy. But, I don’t want to drink it alone.”

“…But.”

“Well, I know what you’re thinking.”

Hanho laughed.

“Are you thinking of Elder Hooch?”

“…you’re right.”

Usagifuchi.

In the past, he was in charge of agriculture for the Cheonshin tribe.

The last conversation I had with him was, funnily enough, about stir-fried snails. Hoochie said, “When I come back, I’ll treat you to stir-fried snails.” But unfortunately, when I came back, Hoochie was already dead.

In the end, I consoled myself by eating that stir-fried maggot at his funeral.

“…Don’t worry. I’m not dying. I won’t have you serve coffee at my funeral like Elder Hoochie.”

It is said that life is limited to a thousand lives. No one knows when or where they will die. Even Hanho cannot control it.

But still.

“So, go down to Seorabeolbu. Take the ship you made with the Sur people, take the big island and Heukgaek Island, and plant that tree. When that happens, I will enjoy that ‘coffee’ with you.”

I felt that Hanho’s words were true.

“…Let’s do it as quickly as possible.”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

After saying that, Hanho pushed my back.

As if telling me to go quickly.

***

After that brief meeting with Hanho.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a middle school student.

“Kwaaak, Father! Please save me! Elder Hanho is trying to kill me!”

“Eww! Master! I’m dying!”

I also saw my son Damdeok having fun rolling around at Hanho School, and my eldest son Gwan-o, who recently entered Hanho School.

Still, my son Damdeok held out a little better than Gwan-O’s son. Well… maybe it’s natural since Gwan-O’s sons are born civil servants.

“Hang in there, damdeok. Frustration makes a man.”

“Kuaaaah!”

Hanho smiles evilly at the sight.

“Do you still have the strength to say such things? Okay, I’ll push you around more today.”

“Kwaaak!”

“Didn’t I tell you? You have to wear the clothes you’re wearing a hundred times before you can become a useful warrior!”

The clothes these kids are wearing now… are leather clothes from Seorabeolbu. In other words, it is the highest quality Indian leather ‘Bucksking’ that has been recreated by combining all the leather secrets of Mongolia, Jungwon, and Asadal.

It’s something that doesn’t tear or fray easily.

“Ah, I should have come wearing cotton instead of Seorabeol leather! Then I’d be worn out in no time!”

It’s too stupid to come out of my son’s mouth, but I guess that’s what happened. He may be irrelevant here and all, but by 21st century standards, he’s a middle school student.

Yeah, that’s stupid enough. I used to fight with umbrellas back in the day.

But Hanho’s thoughts seem to be different.

“Are you saying that now?”

Hanho shouts.

“Those who come wearing cotton clothes are those who were born with nothing. On the other hand, you were born with everything and came here wearing Seorabeol leather. So, isn’t it natural that you, who were born with more, should work harder?”

Roll that Bucksking until it’s worn out a hundred times?

Indeed, there is no way he wouldn’t become a useful warrior.

Leave that screaming gallbladder alone.

I went back to the receiving station to observe the coin manufacturing process, then arrived at Haedongseong and reported it.

And when all that process is over.

“…You should probably go down soon. There’s something you need to do.”

Baran told me.

“Are you talking about the big island and the black island?”

“Yes. By the way, the name of Big Island is also inconvenient. Isn’t there a better name?”

“Hmm, the people from that island call my hometown ‘Habayi’.”

Havaii is a common island in Austronesian culture, where they are said to have departed.

The Polynesian island name ‘Hawaii’ is also derived from ‘Havaii’.

And, historically speaking, this ‘Habai’ is most likely Taiwan.

In fact, those who flowed into Japan also called the island of Taiwan ‘Habai’.

“Habayira. I guess you could call it Habayi Island.”

Here is the good thing about Hangul. You can write down any pronunciation as it is. (This is a great thing when meeting foreigners. If you say ‘Saint Petersburg’ instead of ‘St. Petersburg’ to your Russian friends, you will see them doing somersaults in excitement. However, if you get too excited and say ‘Constantinople’ to your Turkish friends in the original language, you may end up in a duel that day!)

“Then, I guess we can call them Heukgaek Island and Ha-bai Island… It’s kind of funny that we call it Heukgaek Island because we like it and use their word for Ha-bai.”

“Don’t worry. The people who live on Heukgaek Island just call the place they live ‘islands.’”

There were many unnamed regions in this era, and Black Horn Island (Ryukyu) was one of them. Of course, there were hundreds of islands, so it would have been difficult to name each one.

“We will soon send down the Asadal navy to support the operation.”

When I hear the word support, my stomach hurts again.

In any case, the central government is only providing ‘support’ and telling you to handle it on your own.

Just as each state expanded its territory by handling matters as a national guard and militia during the Indian Wars… I, as the vice-minister of Seorabeolbu, am to do the same.

‘… Ha. There must be a lot of dirty work to do.’

I have to re-examine the military register, check the taxes, check the ships, gather the chieftains of the surrounding tribes, reorganize the military, draw up an operational plan… I’m going to go back.

In front of me, Barangi smiled brightly.

“It’s not a bad thing for you either. This is an opportunity to solidify your authority as a vice-minister and give specializations to each tribal chief.”

Yeah, I know that too.

This is a job and power at the same time. Someone will want this so badly, and it is not a position that anyone can obtain. But… that is only for a day or two. Isn’t it too much to ask for more after doing it for 30 years?

When I looked at him with such a longing look in my eyes, Baran laughed again.

“Besides, shouldn’t we also try out that ‘new-style boat’ that you made? Honestly… I think you made it with power in mind to some extent from the beginning….”

“…I said.”

“yes?”

“I told you I would do it! Why do you keep doing it!”

“Haha, I was just wondering.”

Wow.

I’d rather die than be sick.

This annoying kid.

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