I hugged the giant plastic tub of kimchi to my chest and tried to twist off the top. Nothing happened. Some bubbles from the fermentation rose lazily through the cabbage.

This was “young kimchi” and, like many a youngster, it was giving adults a hard time. Guillaume had brought the wonderful find back from H-Mart and, despite his stronger grip, he couldn’t liberate the tub, either. The bottom bulged. We wondered if it might be over-packed. Come on, kimchi.