I was in the Marines with a bunch of guys who served in Korea and told anecdotal stories just like that, but I have personally tried it and it certainly smells no worse than sauerkraut or vinegar cole slaw and in my opinion taste better. The King's brand Kimchi that we had did not have a bad smell at all.

The other good thing about me making it myself, is that I get to tweak it like I like it. I plan on mine being hot and spicey, but not fishy. So no fish sauce or dried shrimp powder in mine.

Regarding coonasses I have quite a few family members that live in Baton Rouge, and I make quite a few Cajun dishes, so I don't despair any cultural foods. We've been cooking some Vietnamese foods lately and are now branching out in to Korean.