Wherever there is Korean food, there is kimchi. My mother immigrated from South Korea when she was only 9, and thus many things about her Western, including her fashion sense, her beliefs, many of her parenting methods, and most of her taste in food. But one dish she always goes back to is mak kimchi. More than an incredibly delicious pickle, kimchi is representative of certain aspects of Korean life that my mother misses and longs for. The preparation of the cabbage is a huge, day-long family endeavor, that unites a household in a fun and messy task. It is a representation of the strong structure encouraged in Korean families, and the joy that comes when work is done together. Even through the strong Western emphasis on individualism, this belief has endured in the way that my mother has raised me and my siblings. My mother's view of the family as a team has transferred into the way we think of ourselves. The pressure to succeed in school, performance, work, and everywhere else is always mediated by the support that we expect to give to and receive from each other. 

– Grace Pare

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant