I loved this memoir by Michelle Zauner, a Korean American writer and musician, about her relationship with her mother. As Zauner exits a difficult adolescence, she rekindles the close relationship with her mother, using food as a way to bring them back together. Delving into her Korean heritage, she cooks many of the dishes her mother made for her growing up. Just as their relationship has really turned around, though, she finds out her mother has stage-4 cancer. She drops everything to move back home to help her mother through her cancer treatments. Zauner and her boyfriend decide to get married so that her mother can be part of the wedding planning, and they rush their nuptials. Throughout this story, she relates tales from her childhood and her many summer trips to Korea with her mother. Food is a strong cultural glue that holds her family together, and Zauner tries to learn more dishes to entice her mother to eat when she's struggling to keep her weight up. When her mother loses her battle with cancer, Zauner continues to use cooking as a way to heal, following the popular Korean Youtube chef Maangchi. She also relates how the songs she recorded while grieving her mother eventually garnered the attention of a record company, resulting in a concert tour and further success. Zauner ends the book by relating her first international concert tour, ending in Seoul, where she's able to perform for her remaining family members. The writing is very good, and it will definitely make you hungry for Korean food. I had heard of Zauner's band (Japanese Breakfast) before, but hadn't listened to them; I'm looking forward to exploring their music and videos next (their third album was nominated for two Grammy's).
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