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Crying in H Mart


Lyrical and honest, Zauner's voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is ...
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Ethnic dishes are often passed down from one generation to another and can be a touchstone for immigrants.

Created: 03/03/22

Replies: 10

Posted Mar. 03, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
JMW

Join Date: 01/03/22

Posts: 13

Ethnic dishes are often passed down from one generation to another and can be a touchstone for immigrants.

What dishes resonated with Michelle? Are there special dishes in your family that you enjoy or make that have added associations?


Posted Mar. 03, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
beckyh

Join Date: 05/08/11

Posts: 113

RE: Ethnic dishes are often passed down ...

My family left Germany (Alsace Lorraine) in the 1840's, but we still make and enjoy dishes that have been passed down from my great grand parents. Interestingly, I have a neighbor who escaped Hungary in the 1940's. We enjoy comparing recipes that are similar in both ethnic backgrounds and laughing about the differences. She informed me that my heritage recipe for Goulash has no resemblance to her heritage recipe. But they both use large quantities of paprika! We enjoy talking about how the differences came about and why just as Michelle discovered differences in her heritage recipes when she started to actually attempt to cook them.


Posted Mar. 03, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
crk

Join Date: 03/02/22

Posts: 23

RE: Ethnic dishes are often passed down ...

Kimchi of course! Being part Polish, stuffed cabbage is maybe close to Kimchi tho certainly not as spicy. While Korean cuisine includes raw fish the Polish prefer pickled or smoked. There is nothing better than digging out an old soup recipe your mom or grandmother used to make on a cold cloudy day. In the book, I admired how she took to cooking Korean meals on her own which was no small task, and then in Seoul paid attention to the traditional recipes and ways to embrace her culture to feel closer to her mother.


Posted Mar. 04, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
ScribblingScribe

Join Date: 02/29/16

Posts: 189

RE: Ethnic dishes are often passed down ...

Foods evoke the people who make them. They tie people to their homelands and their culture even when far away. It's their comfort foods. It makes sense that Michelle would crave those dishes that are popular in Korea. We all do that. I make my grandmother's whiskey carrots and soda bread when I miss her. When I eat bibimbap and kimchi, I think of our good friends. Lumpia makes me think of my son's Godmother.


Posted Mar. 05, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
normar

Join Date: 05/15/11

Posts: 48

RE: Ethnic dishes are often passed down ...

My grandparents were Italian immigrants. Food and recipes are a way for me to remember them


Posted Mar. 05, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
arlenei

Join Date: 08/12/21

Posts: 100

RE: Ethnic dishes are often passed down ...

Both my husband’s and my family were Italian immigrants. We all have recipe favorites throughout the family. But we still talk about who the receipe came from, what part of Italy etc. My daughter is the official cook in the family and I am the baker. My grandkids love the stories behind the food and the ingredients. It definitely keeps memories alive for all the generations.


Posted Mar. 06, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
scgirl

Join Date: 06/05/18

Posts: 245

RE: Ethnic dishes are often passed down ...

My family is Czech and Irish - this usually encompasses a lot of cabbage and root vegetables on both sides! I have developed a cookbook of all our family recipes for my daughters and daughter-in-law so they can enjoy some of the "secret" recipes from our family.


Posted Mar. 08, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
ssh

Join Date: 02/04/14

Posts: 99

RE: Ethnic dishes are often passed down ...

The dishes most special to me have associations with particular family members, rather than ethnic heritage. I grew up with a family understanding that it was not wise to share attachment to ethnic foods - it invited discrimination.


Posted Mar. 12, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
AmberH

Join Date: 05/09/18

Posts: 85

RE: Ethnic dishes are often passed down ...

I agree! I love how Michelle used this as a way to stay connected to her mother after her death. And hopefully she is able to share with others as she continues to move through her life.


Posted Mar. 12, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
marks

Join Date: 02/25/19

Posts: 112

RE: Ethnic dishes are often passed down ...

I enjoyed the way Zauner used food throughout the story. I do not have a great deal of experience with the food she mentioned, but whether it was prepared to share with current family or to remember her mother, it definitely made me think about how certain foods are connected to certain people in my family. My mom's cherry pie and my grandmother's homemade apple sauce immediately come to mind.


Posted Mar. 13, 2022 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
kb2021

Join Date: 01/16/21

Posts: 9

RE: Ethnic dishes are often passed down ...

My grandmother was Italian, and used food to bring and keep the family together. Every Saturday our extended family gathered for spaghetti with homemade sauce from tomatoes that she grew and canned. Every Christmas she made Italian cookies with and for the grandchildren. You couldn't enter her home without being offered food. You couldn't refuse as the offers would continue until you accepted something. How I wish the recipes she wrote out did not get lost in moves over time.


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