'Kimchi is very personal and it's all about your particular preferences'

A great comment by Vongerichten that goes to the heart of things.
Whilst many readers of Korean heritage noted that Kimchi Chronicles is not sufficiently pure enough for them (some have likened it to the BigMac approach to Korean foods), as a European, trying to discover how to make some of the tasty Korean dishes I have so enjoyed both in Korea and in North American Korean restaurants this is a reasonable cookbook addition to my collection, particularly the Kimchi chapter.
Mind you with the addition of cheese, Coca Cola and other ingredients, including Mexican, some of the recipes are really more fusion Korean. I liked Vongerichten explanation for these inclusions that some of these ingredients found their way into Korean pantries during the Korean War from American GI rations. (p. 62), although some of these ingredients are not personal preferences.
The list of staples at the beginning gives clarity and understanding to searching for ingredients.
Ok, I freely admit to going to my fav. Korean store to buy fresh Kimchi rather than making my own--but here's my chance!
The explanation about the Banchan dishes (side dishes) I found excellent. These are the parts of a Korean meal that make it so enjoyable.
There are several recipes I found didn't overtax my abilities. Though I must say as a fan of Bloody Mary's, the Kimchi Mary is a definite temptation.
A colourful addition to the kitchen shelves.

A NetGalley ARC ( )

I have watched the show and love Korean foods and spices, so I was really excited to get this book. Unfortunately the recipes I tried were less than expected. I tried foods that I have eaten many times before in our local Korea-town, and savored over the years. They lacked spice, or were too salty for my taste. The kimchi recipes which is the base of cooking were just bland. What is with the american cheese ? She say's it's there because the GI's brought it so they had to include it in cooking. Ok I get that but it does not make me think Korean cooking. It is a lovely book about a women and her adventure to her family's history but not a great cookbook. ( )

I love Marja's book - once I caught her episode on PBS I was hooked. This book is great, the recipes are amazing and simple and have a fresh take on traditional recipes. The ingreidents are VERY grocery store friendly which make it wasy to make them and she even has subsitutes if you don't have items. It's a great book with amazing photographs of the food. I'd recommend for a beginner in Korean cooking. ( )