diplomacy¹ Friday as their husbands held summit talks on improving relations." width="450" border="0" src="/upimg/091017/4_030533_1.jpg" />
Kim Yun-Ok and Miyuki Hatoyama. The first ladies of Japan and South Korea engaged in some kimchi diplomacy Friday as their husbands held summit talks on improving relations.

The first ladies of Japan and South Korea engaged in some kimchi diplomacy Friday as their husbands held summit talks on improving relations.

On the sidelines of the meeting between President Lee Myung-Bak and Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Lee's wife Kim Yun-Ok invited Miyuki Hatoyama to a Korean traditional cuisine² institute.

Miyuki, a lifestyle guru who has published cooking books, impressed Kim by sticking her bare hand in a pot of kimchi -- an iconic but strongly-flavoured dish of vegetables pickled with red chili³ and garlic.

Kim said even Korean women use plastic gloves when making a potent⁴ version of the side dish.

"I wanted to experience making kimchi with bare hands," responded Miyuki, who is known for her love of Korean culture.

Hatoyama and his wife last month had a meeting in Tokyo with South Korean heart-throb actor Lee Seo-Jin, who presented them with a Korean tea set and DVDs of his movies.

上周五，当日韩两国首脑举行峰会就改善两国关系交换意见时，两国的第一夫人则开展了“泡菜外交”。

在韩国总统李明博和日本首相鸠山由纪夫举行会谈的会场之外，李明博的夫人金润玉则邀请（日本首相夫人）鸠山幸前往了韩国的一家传统饮食研究所。

曾出版过几本烹饪书的时尚大师鸠山幸赤手伸进泡菜坛，给金润玉留下了深刻印象。泡菜是韩国的传统饮食，其味道浓烈，是在蔬菜中加入红辣椒和大蒜腌制而成的。

金润玉称，即使韩国妇女在制作这道味道浓烈的小菜时，也要戴上塑料手套。

鸠山幸回答说：“我想体会一下赤手做泡菜的感觉。”据悉鸠山幸对韩国文化颇感兴趣。

鸠山由纪夫和妻子于上月在东京会见了韩国的“万人迷”男演员李瑞镇。当时李瑞镇赠送给日本首相及夫人一套韩国茶具以及自己所演影片的光盘。

Vocabulary:

kimchi：Korean. a spicy pickled or fermented mixture containing cabbage, onions, and sometimes fish, variously seasoned, as with garlic, horseradish, red peppers, and ginger（泡菜）

on the sidelines of：作为旁观者，不参与

guru：a leader in a particular field（专家；权威；大师）

pickle：to preserve or steep in brine or other liquid（腌渍）

side dish：a serving of a portion of food in addition to the principal food, usually on a separate dish（配菜，正菜外的附加菜）

heart-throb：迷人的出名男子，大众情人（尤指男演员或歌手）