Exploring Korean-American Heritage & Interculturalism
A Memory from a Korean-American Childhood – Hot Garbage or Delicious Stew?When you were a kid, were you ever embarrassed to have friends come over to your home?
Sure, almost everyone is at some point.
And, I probably should’ve been but I wasn’t it. But probably not for the reason you think…. [Read more…]
A Story from a Korean-American Childhood – “Recondensed Mushroom Soup”I think we all know that it’s common for immigrant parents to have to leave their children unattended at home while they work all day and sometimes night. In fact, you don’t have to have had immigrant parents for this to happen. In this day and age, a dual income household is not only commonplace but a necessity.
My family was no different. My parents worked most of the day, most days of the week. They left my older sister, Eonni (older sister of a girl in Korean), in charge, as is the case for older siblings in these situations.
Why Do Koreans (and other Asians) Fight Over the CheckI remember my parents almost getting into physical fights with their friends over who would pay for the restaurant bill.
No, they weren’t pushing it on to each other. No one mysteriously disappeared to the bathroom right when the check came. There was no one saying “Oh I forgot my wallet. I’ll get you next time.”
Rather, they were clamoring to pay FOR the bill. [Read more…]
A Story from a Korean-American Childhood – Immigrant IngenuityOne of the things that never ceases to amaze me is a person’s resourcefulness. Of course everyone occasionally uses scissors instead of a knife. The same goes for a cellphone light instead of a flashlight. And everyone knows about the all around usefulness of duct tape. These are all easy and obvious! Downright pedestrian, if you will! [Read more…]
A Memory from a Korean-American Childhood – Herbal Drink PouchesWhat’s up with Koreans and medicinal drinks? Is there anyone in South Korea who doesn’t have some sort-of medicinal drink in their fridge?
If you weren’t aware, Koreans are very health conscious. And my parents, as Americanized as they were, were no exception. [Read more…]
