bun rieu
so I had a lot of fun making bun rieu with my pr manager and these two cuties
the baby's name is kana, and the princess in the purple dress is ava, and she helped me prep some onions
yesterday, I was playing with ava building spaceships, when she passed gas
I wasn't sure what had happened, but she sat there and stared at me for like 3 seconds, just to see if I noticed, and then she comes out and says, that was me with a sneaky grin on her face
I mean, it was pretty much just her and I, but I couldn't help but start laughing, then she started laughing, and then we both started laughing
so I never held a baby before, cause im afraid ill drop them, but little kana came up to me, and she put her head to my chest, so I asked my marketing manager what it was she was doing, and she said she wanted to give me a hug
then I think she wanted me to pick her up, and I was super hesitant, but I did it
I held a baby for the first time, and it made me want to have little babies of my own
Laina Li
update
so a couple of weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to make some custom shirts for john's kimchi, and I wanted to be really thorough about something like that, and I knew a buddy since high school that happens to be in the t-shirt business, so I asked him if he would have any time out of his busy schedule to entertain me and have me spend some time with him at work and learn more about the shirt making process
thankfully, he agreed, and I ended up spending some time at his shop today, and he taught me a lot about the processes and equipment and stuff, and it was really fun to learn
but one thing led to the next, and he told me that he could just make the shirts for me, and im like, man, that would be awesome! I didn't want to ask him because I didn't want to bother him with tiny orders and stuff, but since he offered, he will be making all of john's kimchi custom shirts for our future needs :)
also, he gave me a lot of awesome suggestions for my business as well, which I intend to utilize as soon as able
Christian Diamante
then he started asking me how I shipped my kimchi and I told him how I used to try to ship it, but it was a complete failure, so I don't ship anymore
then he proceeded to show me where I could get some awesome jars, insulated styrofoam boxes, and where I could get some custom labels made
and then we browsed some of the jars, and I saw some that looked like pickle jars, and I was like, those jars are really sturdy, and if I had something like that instead of the jars im purchasing from ball jars, I could definitely ship those without them breaking, and the insulated boxes would keep them super cool throughout transit
so one thing lead to the next, and im definitely getting back into the shipping business, and its going to be super legit this time, and its going to propel johns kimchi forward a ton
then, when I was cooking with my pr manager, I told her about everything, and she's excited, too!
last week was super busy for me because I was still trying to pass my psychology course with a D, so I haven't had much time to devote to my business, but I now have until Tuesday before I start work at the sushi restaurant to add more content to johnskimchi.com
a lot of fun and exciting stuff is about to happen, and I hope you all continue to join us in along for the fun! that's my marketing manager posing with one of christians shirts
Laina Li
-the kimchi whisperer-
John's Kimchi Will Begin Shipping
So it has been a long while since I have been active on my business webpage, but there’s this new sense of dedication and motivation now to grow my business in whichever way possible, even if it is by one jar of kimchi at a time.
When I started this business, I had meant for it to be an online business, but, I was naive and inexperienced, so the shipping business did not work out.
Also, shipping, in and of itself, is a lot more expensive than if you were to come to the local farmers markets where I vend at to purchase my kimchi.
For instance, if you just wanted to purchase a $10.00 jar of my kimchi, you would have to spend at least another $15.00 on shipping alone, so the prospect did not make sense for me or for my customers.
As of current, shipping my kimchi would make sense for my customers if they were to purchase in bulk, in order for them (you) to receive the most from your shipping cost. So, in essence, the shipping of my kimchi will be for people out of state that truly want to purchase my kimchi.
Each order will be catered to each individual, and we will work together to ship to you your desired quality of kimchi, and each order will be for pre-order.
Also, each jar of kimchi will be individually wrapped in an insulated bubble mailer with an ice (gel) pack to keep it cool during the two days transit.
I am very excited to undertake this new venture, so please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
-the kimchi whisperer-
Pho
John's Kimchi Is Steadily Growing
It is a bit crazy for me to look back upon when I first moved back home to Orlando when I was out of business for a whole year and I was very depressed and frustrated with my situation, and I wanted to prove so badly to myself and everybody that was concerned that I could make my business work here in Florida.
It wasn’t too long ago that I finally got into my first profitable farmers market at the beginning of November last year, just a couple of months ago. I have since then gotten into their new Hamlin market on Sundays a short while afterwards. And things have been moving along quite well, slowly but surely.
Today, I received an email from another market that I had applied to a few months back that is a skip and a hop away from where I currently live, and it is on Monday named Audubon Park Community Market. So, that now brings the total number of markets that I will be vending at to three, which is about the most I want to handle on my own, comfortably.
The Audubon Park Community Market is located near the intersection of Colonial and Mills/1792, close to all the Asian markets and restaurants. So for those of you whom may have been interested in purchasing kimchi from me, but I have not been in a market close by, this will be your chance to stop by and grab some rotten vegetables, or just stop by and say hello.
Life sure is funny. When you’re desperately looking and fighting for something, it never happens. When you’re already well on your way and when you’re not paying attention, everything starts to come together so very quickly.
I have also decided that I will offer a few food products at the markets as well in efforts to grow my company. I believe I want to offer four products, which are: fried rice, bbq spareribs, chicken curry, and beef stew. The food will be prepackaged and frozen, so consumers could purchase them and prepare them at home at their convenience by reheating the food.
The reason why I decided to go with prepackaged foods as opposed to hot foods at the market is because it would take a tremendous amount of work on my part to attempt to prepare all the foods a day or two in advance to anticipate demands for the markets. In addition, I would have to haul around a bunch of additional gear and equipment to provide hot foods at the market, and that is a world of pain that I did not want to be a part of. Also, there is the matter leftover foods from the market that would go to waste each week, and that’s not really good business in general.
So, pre-packaged food solves all of those problems. I could spend a few days out of the week or month and just prepare everything in bulk and then freeze it, and then all I have to bring with me in addition is a big ice chest to hold all of my frozen packages. Absolutely no waste is involved, and anything I do not sell could be used for the next market.
This is all, however, contingent on my food idea getting approved at the markets that I will be vending at, and that would be a different application process from just my kimchi product itself. But, I have already talked to the team at the Hamlin market, and they said that would not be a problem at all and all I needed to do is resubmit an application indicating the new products that I wanted to add and it would be approved.
So, for those of you whom may have been interested in trying some of my cooking, here is your chance to do so.
As I have mentioned, I am only comfortable with running three markets a week on my own, and that is Saturday through Monday, and the remaining days I will use to produce kimchi and food. With that said, there are two more markets that I would like to eventually become a vendor at and that is the Winter Park market as well as the Lake Eola market to round out my whole farmers market business before transitioning to my restaurant one day.
This will require me to start hiring a few additional team members to assist me in producing kimchi and foods as well as for someone to man the two aforementioned markets on Saturday and Sunday. I would also have to purchase another work vehicle like the one I have now that could carry around all of the equipment for the other markets.
All in all, I am in a much better place now than I was just a few months ago, and things are moving so fast that I am afraid to blink and miss out on all the fun and excitement.
-the kimchi whisperer-
Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Beef Noodles)
The Finished Product
Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Beef Noodles)
So I allocated some time out today to produce my second most favorite Vietnamese dish, and probably my second favorite dish of all time next to Pho (beef noodle soup).
This will be a dish that I will be incorporating into my eventual restaurant.
I will post a photo of the finished product when it is all said and done.
-the kimchi whisperer-
Finally
Hello Everyone:
I understand that it has been a long time since I have posted on this blog because there was not much to post about ever since moving back to Orlando, FL. But, I am pleased to announce, after a little over a year since moving back to Orlando, I have finally gotten accepted into my first farmers market. The Winter Garden Farmers Market was gracious enough to allow me to become a vendor with their venue.
After conducting some further research into the market, I was pleased to discover that in 2016, the Winter Gardens Farmers Market was ranked number one in the nation out of 7,000+ markets. You can only imagine my excitement at this point, and I believe this is a very good start in growing my business here in Florida.
https://www.orangeobserver.com/photo-gallery/winter-garden-farmers-market-ranked-best-in-the-state-and-the-nation
Now that things have caught some traction with my business, I will be more active with my blog, and hopefully I can entertain you all-the-while.
Thank you for you continued support and interest!
-The Kimchi Whisperer-
John's Kimchi Re-launching Online Sales
Hello Everyone:
Through much internal struggling and my debating the pros and cons, I have decided to re-launch my online sales division. I may have related the story to some of you that I stopped the online component of my business because the success rate through USPS (United States Postal Service) was very low, and packages went missing and things would break.
At this stage of the company, the only economical means to ship out my kimchi is still through USPS. However, I have decided to go with 16oz plastic jars this time around with the company I purchase my glass jars from. I am hoping that the plastic jars will hold up much better to withstand compression, impact and breakage during transit.
The only size that will be offered online is the 16oz jars, because the bottle company that I purchase my glass jars from do not currently produce 32oz plastic jars. The price of the 16oz jars sold online will be priced at $9.00/jar instead of the regular price of $10.00/jar. This is to accommodate customers that wish to purchase 32oz jars for $18.00, or more.
The smallest shippable flat rate box will be a medium box, and it could hold up to six 16oz jars. Shipping prices will be approximately $13.50.
I have included photos of the new 16oz plastic jars for your reference.
Please feel free to contact with any questions or concerns, and to place an order.
Securely nestled in a USPS medium flat rate box. the center and top will be lined with shipping paper for added protection.
Thank you!
John Tran
This Season's Farmers Markets
Hello Everyone:
As this season's farmers markets is approaching rapidly, I just wanted to send out an information notice as to where you will be able to locate me this season.
I am currently working with the "Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Market" association.
Starting May 3rd, You will be able to find me as a vendor at Columbia City Farmers Market, from 3:00pm-7:00pm.
Then in June, you would be able to locate me at the Magnolia Farmers Market, from 10:00am-2:00pm on the starting date of June 3rd, 2017.
And I will be available at the Phinney Ridge Farmers Market starting on June 2nd, 2017, from 3:30pm-7:30pm.
I hope to see returning faces, and I am absolutely excited about this coming season.
-The Kimchi Whisperer-
Free Delivery
Hello Everyone:
I am reinstating and enabling my e-commerce service for my webpage. If you live within 25 miles from the zip code of 98125, Seattle, I will offer you free delivery for your purchase(s).
I am also contemplating shipping my kimchi within the United States, once I figure out the logistics portion of my business.
Please order with confidence, that you will be receiving the highest-quality kimchi on the market. You will still have to enter your billing and home address at checkout, in order for me to deliver your kimchi to your preferred location.
Thank you!
-The Kimchi Whisperer-
Special Sauce - John's Kimchi's Special Paste
So my first day at the farmers market starts on May 3, 2017. I decided today was the day I started to craft my kimchi in anticipation for the upcoming markets. First and foremost, and the most critical aspect of crafting John's Kimchi is its paste, and it is somewhat labor-intensive, but I would like to invite you all to follow me on the journey:
Peeled garlic all day long
Chunks and chunks of ginger :)
Seemingly, a mountain of onions
A million pounds of fish sauce
Unfortunately, I had to recruit the assistance of little, baby fermented shrimps :(. You can still see their little eyes staring at you, but its too late to say I'm sorry
John's Kimchi base, comprising of water, sugar and flour. Many of my customers enquire as to why I use flour and sugar in my paste, and I make something up such as: well, the flour and the sugar, with the assistance of the bacterias inherent in the vegetables, helps to break everything down in order to produce lactic and acidic acid that contributes to the tangy and tart nature of John's Kimchi
The union of parts - this is the most crucial step, because I always want to puree and blend everything down to its individual molecule, so that you don't accidentally bite into a whole garlic glove and such
A towering amount of Korean pepper flakes. Many of my customers ask me what differentiates my product from the kimchi that is readily available on Asian market shelves, and I just simple answer: Korean pepper flakes. There is a process of cultivating, curing and processing of Korean peppers in order to bring it to its processed form. The whole process imparts upon the peppers a rounder, earthier tone, with a hint of sweetness on the tonsils at the very end of consumption. This is not something that you can purchase in bulk for cheap at your local wholesales markets
The finished product
It is an absolutely amazing feeling to be back to working for myself again. I can control the quality, and the decisions that goes into growing my business. And I love taking out the time necessary to craft the most delicious kimchi available, in the whole entire universe.
Please stay tuned to more upcoming progress reports.
-The Kimchi Whisperer-
Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Markets (SNFM) Vending Dates For John's Kimchi
A couple of days ago, I received in the mail a 2017 Permit to Sell at NFM (April - December 2017). I have been permitted to vend at Columbia City Farmers Market on Wednesdays, from 3:00pm to 7:00pm, Phinney Farmers Market every Friday from 3:30pm - 7:30pm, and Magnolia Farmers Market every Saturday from 10:00am - 2:00pm. I am also on a wait list for University District, West Seattle, and Capitol Hill Farmers Markets - I was really hoping to get into the latter three markets, but for my second season of being in business, I will take what I can get.
I had been anxiously anticipating this permit, because I was getting very restless as to what the future holds for John's Kimchi, and I have been so relieved to finally know that I will be a vendor for the 2017 Farmers Market season. During the market offseason, I have been toying with a lot of different ideas and food products that I will eventually be offering when John's Kimchi has its own physical location as a restaurant as well as a brick and mortar retail space. I have been working on an outline for a business plan that I hope to refine and complete in order to present to Angel investors or banks when the time comes to raise capital for my restaurant.
I really don't have much more to speak of at this point, but I look forward to seeing everyone this summer when the market starts in May!
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change." - Charles Darwin
-The Kimchi Whisperer-
Please Excuse My Neglect
Hello Everyone:
It has been quite a while since I have posted anything in regards to John's Kimchi. The reason being is, my business has gone into stasis mode during the winter months as I am awaiting word on which farmers market I will be participating in with the Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Market (SNFM) association. I received a newsletter from them recently that stated that they will be sending out "permits to sell" by mid February to late February, so I am anxiously awaiting the results. I applied to five or six different markets, and if I get approval to vend in most of them, I will have a very busy season starting May, 2017.
It has been quite a while where I was at a market to grow John's Kimchi, and I have been itching to get back to it, but the venues just aren't there for my product right now, so I had to pick up a part-time job working as a server at The Ram. The crazy thing is, I am making so much money at the ram in half the time that I was spending at my former government job, that I am able to support myself, and it affords me the time to plan strategically for the next steps to take in regards to John's Kimchi. The work is grueling, but the sacrifice will be worth it in the end, given the flexibility.
It is kind of crazy, to look back to think that I have been living in Seattle for over three years, and three years of struggle it has been. But, now, I'm at a point where everything is starting to fall into place, and I believe I am at the precipice of success and profit, and it scares me. That notion has been paramount of my thought process for about a good week, because I never thought I would arrive at this place. It easy to write it down chronologically, but its harder to envision when I have to recall all the pains, doubts, and sacrifices it took to get to this point. And the doubts from parents telling you, you haven't amounted to anything and suggesting that your business venture is merely a pipe dream.
Working at The Ram as a server has proven to be a great education towards my ongoing goals of eventually starting up my own small restaurant. I am being very observant of what works and what doesn't work, and I plan to take that knowledge when it is time for me to depart and to take my business to the next level.
Before, the idea of opening up a restaurant absolutely terrified me, but I have worked it all down. I do not have to open up a big restaurant - I could always start small like a Chipotle-style restaurant, and work my way up from there. I whole-hearted believe in my skills and my food products, and I am merely awaiting my opportunity to introduce my culinary skills to the world. As difficult as it may appear, pleasing the palettes of the masses is quite simple - provide the best, wholesome food possible, and your customers will come back for more. And, at the expense of appearing arrogant, I am very confident I craft some very delicious food.
I was at a family function during Thanksgiving when someone purported that you will not be able to make a Vietnamese-style soup that tastes great without using Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). And I thought to myself quietly, I make the best Pho without using MSG, and I plan on making all of my products as far from being processed as possible, so the niche market is there. I just wish one day everyone would be able to sample my Pho and so much more that goes on in my head.
There was a lot more that I wish to write about, but I have a very terrible short-term memory, and my thoughts alludes me. But I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still here, in the depths of my mind, trying to work out the next possible course for John's Kimchi.
Thank you!
-The Kimchi Whisperer-
End of Year Holiday Promotions: Save up to 22% on John's Kimchi
Starting tomorrow at Fremont, and until the end of the year, I will be offering a promotional discount on my kimchi products, so come out to the market and purchase yourself some kimchi at a great price! They also make a great, small, additional Christmas gift and as stocking stuffers :). I look forward to seeing everyone out at Fremont for the upcoming month!
Regular price was $10 for 16oz jar, and $18 for 32oz jar. Discounted prices will be $8 for 16oz and $14 for 32oz.
Also, I have been entertaining the idea of reinstating my E-commerse store to include shipping. I will most likely being using United Parcel Service or Fedex as my logistic provider. The price of shipping will be expensive, but I believe I will be able to ensure proper delivery through these services, as opposed to the many lost and damage packages I experienced with USPS. I will be ramping this up in the following days and week. I am not expecting my E-commerse store to generate any appreciable means of revenue, but rather, I want to let my customers have the options of ordering John's kimchi if they really want it, and I have had many enquiries as to whether I ship or not, so I believe it is time.
Thank you!
-The Kimchi Whisperer-
The Life of a BoSs
So, I have been neglecting my blog posts for a long while now due to the fact that there has been a lot of personal, emotional, and financial issues in my life that I had to tend to, so here goes:
The past four weeks have been a tumultuous uprising, and I have neglected John's Kimchi, and I feel very bad about it, but life dictates the best course of actions to undertake, and I only did what I knew I had the control over to do. Where to start. I do not even know where to begin.
I guess the biggest point to address was that I was running out of working capital - boy, is that a punch-in-the-gut feeling; not being able to meet your operating expenses to continue to run your business when you know for a certain fact that you're at the cusp of being successful. So, due to unforeseen circumstances, I was late on paying my rent for over two weeks. Then the hammer came down, and they left me a letter attached to my door with an eviction notice stating that if I was not able to pay the rent in three days’ time, my lease would be terminated and actions will commence to evict me. That there was quite the ride.
At the time, I felt like I had no other options left, and I entertained the idea of placing all of my belongings into storage and living out of my car for a few months. But then, there's this nagging issue of my dog, who’s a six-month puppy and how I was going to care for her, and having to find a solution of where I was going to shower and stuff. So, I told myself, I could keep my gym membership at LA Fitness and just shower there periodically and I would be able to just go on about my way. That was not a prospect I was really looking forward to.
In any case, I really needed to dig deep to figure out a way to survive for the next few months to be able to pay my bills/debts and sustain John's Kimchi. I was running out of options, and, so, I reached out to my parents, and they came through in the clutch - that's what parents are for :). So, I was afforded a month or two of extra time, and I was going to make every penny count. And I am so poOr at this point, it makes me want to cry, but, I'm all out of tears, and the only thing left in me that is made of salt my own sweat and salty demeanor, and sweating is the only thing I have ever been good at.
But I had all faith in John's Kimchi's future, and I knew it was only a matter of time. First you have to crawl, then you learn to walk, and I knew I was merely paying my dues as a first-time business owner who is way under-capitalized. But I knew that if I just kept moving forward, things would change very soon, and I would be given the opportunity to prove to the ones whom loves me that I knew what I was doing all along.
So, about a week ago, the applications for the Seattle's Farmers Market Association opened up its doors to venders wishing to vend for 2017. I went ahead and applied to the University Districts year-round Saturday Market, and the West Seattle and Capitol Hill's year-round Sunday markets. Here's hoping for the best. I've done all I could up to this point, so I don't know what else to do at this point in regards to gaining a larger market exposure for John's Kimchi.
Working at The Ram has been a lot of fun. It’s so easy, though I still have much to learn in regards to the menu and how the point of sales terminals work. But, as I had predicted, all I have to do is show up to work, do a good job, and go home - no stress. And everyone working there seems really nice, and they all want to help each other, almost like a cohesive unit. I am enjoying my time there, and I hope to make a bigger impact with The Ram as I garner more experience and become more efficient and more proficient with the whole system.
I received my first full paycheck from The Ram, which entailed 20-hours per week for two weeks, and the amount was mind-blowing. And that is given that I was scheduled in the slower sections, so I can only imagine the kind of money I will be bringing in if I was working, say, 35-hours per week. This is all a game changer. I am glad I stuck it out and decided to do my best to get a job with The Ram. Things are all falling into place now.
I have missed the Fremont market for the past three weeks, due to not having the time to make kimchi, and not having all the necessary supplies to bring my kimchi to market in time. But I am happy to inform everyone that I will be back at the Fremont market this Sunday, and I apologize to my customers for the past three weeks for my absence.
Thank you!
-The Kimchi Whisperer-
The Month of December Promotions
Hello Everyone:
I have been toying with some ideas for a sales promotion, and, being that Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday, the promotion will be happening throughout the month of December - I love going to the stores when they play Christmas music, and it just places me in a warm and fuzzy mode.
Starting December 1st, there will be a 25% discount on all purchases of 16oz and 32oz jars, when purchased in whole cases - each case contains 12 jars of each size. This will be a great opportunity for everyone to save some money on John's Kimchi, and they present an excellent idea for christmas presents for those whom you know are Kimchi consumers. And they would also be great stocking stuffers, given that you can keep the stockings tacked to the wall with a jar of kimchi in it.
You may be able to purchases cases of kimchi directly from my website, and there will be free delivery if you are located within 25 miles of the Northgate Mall. You could also come purchase the cases of kimchi, if you have arranged to do so with me before hand, and be able to come pick up your kimchi at the Fremont Sunday Market - which I hope to be back at this coming Sunday.
I am also starting to toy with the idea of introducing Vietnamese-Style subs, at the local markets in the future. I have always wanted to try my hand at Vietnamese subs, because I like them a lot, and I think they will be a great complement to the kimchi offered because it will be a compact operation, clean, neat, and not requiring a lot of additional equipment to haul around. So please keep an eye out on that announcement as I start to experiment with different recipes for sub sandwiches.
A final note, this coming Christmas will be the first Christmas that I will purchase a live Christmas tree for my residence. I am super excited. It will probably contain only a single lightbulb, but it going to be so much fun, and its going to smell awesome (to mask the urine scent that my 3lb Yorkie has left for me all around my apartment's carpets and rugs).
Thank you!
-The Kimchi Whisperer-
A Random Phone Call
Okay, so I have been busy training for my new serving job at The Ram since last Monday, and today was supposed to be my day off, but I was asked to come in today, to conduct a bit more training in order to take my final serving job examination. I had, with all intents and purposes, to make a batch of kimchi today, because I had taken off this Sunday from Fremont, and I will have to take next Sunday off, because I still haven't made any kimchi, and I require at least 10 days of fermentation before I bring my kimchi to the market.
So I have been receiving a lot of random calls while I have been training away at my serving job, most of them bill collectors and 800 numbers. So I finally passed my serving test today, and I just wanted to just go home and celebrate, because it has been a long and trying week, and I don't have a day off until this coming Sunday, but a bOss always have to carry on and do what is necessary. So as I was at home cleaning my apartment and meal prepping, I received a call from an 800 number, and I am thinking to myself, great, another bill collection call. And I told myself, I don't have any money, so leave me alone. But I had decided to pick up anyways, and, to my surprise, it was one of my previous kimchi customers. She asked me if this was John from John's Kimchi, and I responded yes. She then proceeded to ask me how she could go ahead and order kimchi from me, and how the shipping process worked. So I informed her, as my usual speal, that I have encountered many difficulties when it came to shipping my kimchi.
So I told her about my struggles starting John's Kimchi as an e-commerce store, but the lost and damaged packages with United States Postal Service rendered that avenue inoperable. I then asked her if she was local, and it would be easier for her to just order online and come pick up the kimchi in Northgate, right by the mall, since I live there. And she was delighted with that option, because she didn't want to pay for shipping, and I don't want my customers to pay for shipping unless they have to. But I did inform her that I have had many requests to ship my kimchi, and I am seriously thinking about starting my online business again. I had a customer purchase kimchi from me last week, and she asked me if I shipped, and I replied no. She said that she was going back to Hawaii, and she wouldn't be able to purchase anymore kimchi from me. So I told her, if you really want me to attempt to ship you kimchi, then just message me later on and I will do my best. So, at this point, John's Kimchi is only shipping out orders at special requests.
In any case, I am sorry to disappoint some of my customers for not being at Fremont this past Sunday, and this upcoming Sunday. I have been very busy trying to get into the grove of my new part-time job, but I will be back soon.
Thank you for everyone's support so far. I am getting quite famous, and I really don't know what to do with myself at this point
Thank you!
-The Kimchi Whisperer-
A Little Bit About Nothing, But A Lot About Everything :)
Okay, so I have been very excited to come home from the market today to blog, because I have so many things going through my head, and so much I want to say :). Please excuse my being all over the place, because my mind operates at a million miles an hour, and I truly have a very difficult time trying to rein in all of my thoughts, and all the contentious voices for my attention inside my head.
For the past two weeks, my number one objective was to secure a job with The Ram, as I have already mentioned previously. Throughout that time, I was very distraught, and I wondered to myself why the whole world always conspires against me. That's not actually true, I like to exaggerate from time to time, but, I will have to honestly admit, nothing in life ever comes easy for me, but its much more fun that way :). And so, I may or may not have fabricated some parts of this blog for both our entertainment. "are you not entertained!"
So I had grand plans of making more kimchi to vend at the Fremont market, after I found out I got a job with The Ram this past Tuesday. I didn't really want to do anything in life except drink my life away and eat in excess until I knew I had secured a job. As it turns out, I woke up on Wednesday morning with a crazy whirlwind of sneezing, and I just thought to myself, I know where this is going. But being as stubborn as I am, I decided to show up at my local Starbucks, coughing and sneezing away like nobody's business, while I did some reading on cars. That has been my usually routine of late, having coffee and surfing the internet for about and hour and then heading to the gym. For some reason, when I arrived at the gym, I was feeling fine, and I decided to spend about two hours there (not recommended). So I was feeling super great and indestructible and everything, so I decided to go home. That's when everything hit the fan. I started coughing and sneezing uncontrollably, and snot was running out of my nose without any filtration. And I am thinking to myself, are you serious right now?! Why can't I just live my life and enjoy a little bit of success?
In any case, as is always, I tried to take it like a champ. I had all intentions of crafting more kimchi for the following week, but my cold, for once, had finally kicked my ass. And I was in no shape to be making any kimchi. When I was in the Air Force, I don't ever recall taking a sick day. And luckily for me, they have all been colds. And I told myself, its only a cold, nothing to be taking time off for, so I would always show up to work even with a cold. I figured, if there are soldiers risking their lives on the front line of combat, sacrificing everything they've got, I could very easily weather a silly cold. But, as I transitioned to government work, and the Veterans Affairs Health Administration, of all others, I came to realize that people don't want you to show up to work with a cold, because they may catch it themselves. And being in the food industry, and taking various different courses for food safety, the number one thing is, if you're sick, do not show up to work. Luckily for me while I was working for the VA, I was given a certain amount of sick leave every month. So for the first time in my life, even if I wasn't sick, I'd just call in sick, because, hey, it was free vacation time.
One time I broke my pinky, while under the employment of the federal government by hurting myself carrying a very heavy load of laundry. I had to get surgery done, and I took about a week off to "remedy" my injury :). Another time, while hastily running down the stairs, with a heavy load of laundry, I slipped, fell, plummeted, and broke my toe. And let me assure you, alcohol was not ever involved in either cases. So I went to the emergency room, and the doctor told me to get some rest, so I took another week off :). I was pretty good taking a lot of different description pain medication.
My broken pinky :).
So back to all things relevant. I had a crazy fit of illness last night, and I was in and out of sleep, and I looked at the time, and it was about 05:00, and I told myself, I do not want to go to the market today. But I laid in bed, questions my thoughts and I told myself, John Tran, with great powers comes great responsibilities, and you can't let everyone down. So I woke up at about 0800, and I got to preparing for the market, grudgingly.
So I decided to show up at Fremont today, and I just happened to show up when everyone else decided they wanted to show up at the same time, so, to say the least, it was kind of a circus for the market organizers trying to get everyone situated. And all during that time, when under stress and pressure, I noticed a lot of people showing their asses like baboons. And I just don't really understand it, just take it for what it is and lets all be cordial and work through it all. But, as is in life, and as is in people feeling empowered behind driving their vehicle on the roads and road raging because they feel protected under their cocoon, they show their asses, and its very disappointing. But it is what it is.
In any case, today at the market was very fun and interesting. It was very much fun because my gross sales were much higher than I would had anticipated, and I got to interact with my customers, fully aware, without having to worry where my next meal will come from. I had a really good time, because now I can slow down and watch John's Kimchi grow at a natural, organic rate, instead of me trying to force-feed everything down its throat, and, without fail, be fully disappointed in the process.
One interesting interaction was, when a girl (presumably Korean) came up to my booth and told me she wanted to purchase a 16oz jar of kimchi from me, without having even sampled it. I found this to be totally out of left field, because, I have noticed, to my disappointment, that whenever asian folks walk by my stall, they seem to laugh, snicker, or chuckle to themselves, as if saying, really, someone is trying to sell kimchi at the market?! And it is disappointing, because when I had conceived John's Kimchi, I had expected my customer base to be mainly Asian folks, and I thought to myself, where would be a better place to start a kimchi business than in Seattle, Washington, where there are a diverse amount of asian people. To my disappointment, Asian folks account for less than 20% of my customer base - I will go into detail on this in a later post.
But to my dismay, she actually wanted to purchase kimchi from me without trying a sample, from an asian person, and that is rare, based on my experience. And being me, I don't like to sell my product unless they are absolutely satisfied with it. So I implored her to try a sample, anyways. And she agreed. Upon sampling, she said never mind, she would like to purchase a 32oz jar instead. Which was absolutely surprising, assuming she is Korean and they are my hardest critics. Then she told all of her friends to come up to my booth. So, literally, about 12 of them, all in their early 20s, rallied up at my stall. And I am thinking to myself, this has never happened before, so much interest in my kimchi from young, Asian folks. As I have mentioned, most of the Asian girls that pass by my booth never look twice, and if they did, they either snickered, scoffed, laughed, or giggled (I fancy that they giggled because I am bald and almost handsome, but that is never the case).
So at this point, I have kind of lost track where I am going with this blog.
Oh, so I start my orientation and training on Monday, tomorrow, pacific time. I had ordered three different pairs of jeans in anticipation of my new job :). I ordered them in sizes 30x29. The only problem is, I have let myself go for much too long, and I can't, for the life of me, button up those pants. Sure, If I was at my ideal weight of 135lbs, I could fit into them easily, but I am bordering on 170lbs. Being unemployed does that to you :). So its time to get super serious about losing weight, and bringing sexy back. Maybe I will chronicle my weight loss journey here with all of you. But I warm you, the before photos aren't very pleasing to the eyes, but its always fun to try to lose weight.
My new work pants, and Amazon decided to send me a dog as a special offer :).
