Yes, it was still edible ...

I can hear the collective gasp now.

Koreans everywhere are going to be dismayed at how I've managed to maim one of our beloved national dishes. The photo above shows my first attempt at making Korean kimbap.

I'm still hoping for a pat on the back for trying ... though I'm sure this pat will be like the ones parents give their kids who have drawn their first stick figure (even if the arms are poking out of the spot where the ears should have been drawn).

With the holidays approaching, I am nostalgic for my bi-cultural holiday celebrations. Turkey was always served alongside a full Korean feast and (during a good year), some sashimi, too! I remember watching my mom roll kimbap on the kitchen counter ... and I would wait for her to discard the "imperfect pieces" (like the ends) and grab a sample for myself.

This morning, I laid the kimbap on the plate ... surveyed it ... and sighed, "I'm pathetic at this."

At this point, Moriah ran in and grabbed one to show Annalise in the other room.

"Wow! Mommy made this? How did she do this?" marveled Annalise.

Moriah added a muffled, "They're yummy."

That was a very nice (UNEXPECTED!) pat-on-the back from my sweet girls.

One of the nice perks of cooking for young children: they're not very harsh critics. ;) My mom did e-mail me a little secret about rolling kimbap. It might help my future attempts at kimbap-making and even if it doesn't, I'm thankful my daughters will still appreciate the effort. ;)