My Favorite food is preserved vegetable, also known as Kim Chi in Korea and 泡菜 in china. It is preserved in Jars and normally water with bacteria is used. It comes in all kinds of colours and varieties, and tastes. Most Chinese preserved vegetables stink, while I am not so sure about other countries’. It is a by-product of the fermentation process. However, you will not bother much about the stink and looks of it when you muster up all your courage to taste it. It can be salty, sweet, or unbearably sour or spicy, sometimes all four at once! They make up an important part of the authentic Korean meal. It lets out a big “CRUNCH!” when it is chewed on, and that is a big part of the enjoyment. It is slick on your tongue, and slides down your throat smoothly. Sweet or sour, it is really tasty. It does not matter what type of vegetables you use, as the taste is more or less the same when you use spices to preserve it ,as the spices are all really strong-flavoured and a little bit spicy. They cover up all the original taste of the vegetables.

Picture from http://eatingasia.typepad.com/eatingasia/2005/12/ugly_but_tasty.html