By Emmanuel T. Erediano
emmanuel@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
IT was a rainy Friday, but for the manamko’, it was a blessed day.
After hearing from officials of the CNMI Broadband Policy and Development Office at the Office of the Governor about the expansion of the Operation Governor’s Digital Connect initiative, the senior citizens returned to the manamko’ center to join visiting members of the Saemaul Women’s Association from Pyeongchang, South Korea, in making authentic kimchi.
The manamko’ will soon receive more than 600 laptops as part of the BPD initiative, which aims to help them feel more comfortable navigating the online world, said BPD project coordinator Krissa Deleon Guerrero.
“We need to support them because we live in a digital world now,” she said. “We cannot leave them behind. We need to help them adapt. We need to support them as they supported and guided us when we were growing up.”
At the manamko’ center, the seniors rolled up their sleeves to mash dozens of kilos of Korean cabbage into kimchi sauce, following the traditional method led by Korea’s “kimchi queen,” Kim Soon Ryul.
“I am thankful and give glory to God for all these blessings,” said Rose C. White, one of the participants. “From sunrise to sunset, He is still God Almighty.”
White added: “This is really a blessing. We are happy to have guests from Korea visit us at a time when the rest of the world is going through turmoil. We still have peace on our island. I loved the authentic kimchi because I grew up eating it.”
Rafaela Odoshi Perry echoed the sentiment, saying the Korean visitors were “more than welcome.” “I thank them for coming,” she said. “I was also here last year, and the kimchi we made then was very good.” Perry even sang a Korean song for the visitors.
It was the second time the manamko’ had learned to make kimchi. Last year, the same group introduced the senior citizens to the traditional method.
Kim Soon Ryul, known as the “kimchi queen” in Pyeongchang, said 16 members visited this year. “Kimchi is a famous Korean food, and we want to share it with the people of the CNMI, especially senior citizens,” she said. “At the same time, we introduce them to Korean food culture.”
CNMI Korean Cultural Center Chairman Kim Hong Kyun said kimchi, a fermented vegetable with a long history in Korean cuisine, is very healthy for senior citizens. “Besides exercise, it promotes health and longevity,” he said.
Office of the Aging Director Walter Manglona said this year’s group was especially excited because more manamko’ who had not participated last year joined the event. “From start to finish, there are two ways to prepare kimchi: the fast way and the traditional way,” he said. “The seniors learned the traditional method so they can make it at home.”
“When we learn any kind of cooking or food preparation, it reminds our seniors to create healthier versions — not too salty,” Manglona added. “It’s good to learn the traditional method, but we also need to adjust recipes safely. The seniors loved it, and we hope this event continues.”
Regarding the laptops from Operation Governor’s Digital Connect, Manglona thanked Gov. David M. Apatang, the BPD, and the late Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, who launched the program. “When the Office of Aging submitted its plan two years ago, computer classes for the manamko’ were included,” he said.
Manglona stressed the importance of online safety. “We need to make seniors aware of potential scams and fraud, since they are often targets,” he said. “We are trying our best to safely introduce them to technology while giving them access to important information about health, aging, telehealth, and online banking.”
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
