The ajumma is one of the most durable genetic strains in nature and should remain a force to be reckoned with for many years to come. If ajumma are going on a longer trip with their friends to enjoy the autumn foliage or snow flowers on Mount Seorak, they will cook gomguk, or beef broth, for their families to survive without them as the broth makes a great meal with only a bowl of rice. Bang (방) – pronounced more like ‘bung’ or ‘bahng,’ this is the Korean word for room, and is widely used for different types of bussinesses. We believe that being an ajumma should carry a sense of pride instead of shame, and we hope to shine a bright spotlight on the joy of middle agedom. And I really like her drawing but most of drawings or images about ajummas are not very ‘friendly’, I know and I understand.

As many ajumma have similar hair styles, sometimes it’s hard to figure out which one is your mother. I myself avoid using it to older women, instead referring to them as ‘imo (aunt),’” said 36-year-old Lee Bo-ra.Ingredients: Soy Sauce (38%), (Water, Defatted Soybean, Salt, Ethyl Alcohol, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Wheat), Sugar (25. It’s often said that being a mother is the toughest job in the world, but try being an ajumma for a day. Ajumma (아줌마) – the Korean term for a middle-aged woman, it literally refers to any married woman, but is generally used for women over 40.

The hordes can often be spotted in the early morning, marching together around Namsan Park or the Han River.They usually camouflage themselves in matching vinyl jackets and ill-fitting shoes for these habitats. It’s almost impossible to tell who is who, but ajumma in their Korean HazMat suits can recognize each other regardless of the number of layers. Through the years, the word Ajumma has gained a negative connotation, conjuring up images of rude, unattractive, older ladies wearing colorful, unmatching clothes with big sun-hats who elbow their way through the subway. For instance, it’s difficult for most young women to balance a large bag of rice on their heads, but even the tiniest of ajumma can do it with ease while shoving people out of the way. Sadly, the number of hanok is in drastic decline as Korea modernises and cannibalises its past in the process.

The heat of chilli is combined with soy sauce and garlic to bring out the savoury notes of the Korean red pepper for a more complex heat.They burn body fat while sweating in front of an intensely hot furnace and watching TV dramas while chatting with fellow ajumma lying down on the heated floor with facial masks.

Although it is sometimes translated " aunt", it does not actually refer to a close family relationship. I’ve lived in Seoul for the last 12 years, and my understanding of what it means to be a Korean woman (even though I don’t have to personally carry most of the “burden”) has evolved and deepened.A combination of toughness from raising a child and a sense of revenge for the years of being looked down upon for being a young woman. The easiest and most popular way to use kimchi is to simply serve it in its own dish alongside a main meal. Joseon is now a convenient shorthand for the old, classical Korea that still lies quietly but strongly underneath the modern face of Korea. It may sound like a lie, but it’s not uncommon to find ajumma beating up tigers on the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty. In recent years, this species was thought to be dying out, due to an influx of western media styles and influences.