Recipe Review: Dak Gui (a Korean dish) from the cookbook Eating Korean by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee

"There are very few things in the world that

taste better than charred meat cooked over a

roaring fire on a summer night."

                                                                - Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee

Introduction: Girl meets boy. Boy is Korean. Girl is not Korean. Boy makes girl eat lots of rice. Girl gets used to it. They marry. Girl needs to learn to cook Korean food.

Inspiration: I'm going to break from my traditional book reviews in favor of culture hour, where I show you how I've slooooooowly begun to integrate Korean dishes into my life beginning with a good Korean marinade.

I'm a white American. Although I spent what I call "my formative years" in Memphis, Tennessee, other than an increase of the importance of barbecue in my life, my taste buds have always been pretty typical of white Americans: bland. Meeting EunSung changed my life in many ways but one of the biggest can be summed up in just one simple word: FLAVOR.

If you know my husband, you know that he loves food. In fact, recently I've joked that my mom typically describes EunSung by saying something like, "You would just love my son-in-law. I've never met anyone who loves food as much as he does!" EunSung grins when he hears this because he knows it is true. Food is his family's love language and it's a language that I'm learning in more than one way. Dak Gui is one of those go-to recipes for me. It's simple enough that when I first started venturing into Korean-cooking-land it boosted my confidence. My hope is that by showing you the steps, you will feel inspired to try this out.

The following recipe comes from Eating Korean by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee. I very much treasure this cookbook because Lee makes the recipes simple enough where I do not feel daunted and she also integrates her personal stories and family photographs every few pages to make the cookbook feel like a bit of a memoir. Food is a big part of culture and her recipes and stories have helped me to feel more connected to my husband's food culture. She also includes a "Where to Get Korean Groceries" section in the back of the book as well as a pronunciation guide, a key to special Korean occasions, and many other fun tidbits.

Dak Gui (Grilled Chicken) - a Korean recipe

Ingredients: 

• Roughly 5 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts if you hate dark meat but the thighs hold the flavor so much better than the breasts)
• 1 onion, chopped (not pictured; my apologies to the onion)
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-in of a piece of ginger root 
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Korean malt syrup* 
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil**
• 1 teaspoon black pepper 

*I can read minds and what you are thinking right now is, "What the cuss is Korean malt syrup??" I know, I know. I didn't get that either. The Korean name for it is mool yut and yeah, I'm sure that totally helps. Korean malt syrup is really similar to corn syrup. It's traditionally made from barley malt but my bottle is from corn syrup. If you can't find mool yut, I would just substitute corn syrup for it but it would likely turn out fine but perhaps just a tad bit sweeter. Mool yut can be found at any Asian market and if you have an international section at your grocery store, it might be there, too.

**Although sesame oil can be expensive, it is a wonderful ingredient to have in your kitchen if you enjoy Asian cuisine. A little goes a very long way. Also, people have been on a weird kick with sesame oil lately. Try googling the health benefits if you're curious about it.

Instructions:

Take a knife and score the chicken on both sides so that the chicken will be easily infused with the marinade. In a bowl, combine the onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, malt syrup (or corn syrup), sesame oil, and black pepper. I take my hand held grater and grate the garlic and ginger over the bowl so it's less of a mess. Since it's just a marinade, I don't peel the ginger.

Douse the chicken in the marinade ensuring that the chicken has been completely covered with the mixture.


My recipe from Eating Korean says to cover and refrigerate for at least three hours or preferably overnight. I like to refrigerate overnight to really make sure that the chicken absorbs as much of the marinade as possible!

Finally, grill the chicken over medium-high heat until it is completely cooked. On a normal outdoor grill, this can take anywhere from 20-40 minutes. Thighs tend to cook more quickly than breasts so watch it carefully. I like mine nice and chargrilled but if you don't, it will still taste delicious. If you're really in a bind and do not have an outdoor grill (or it rains or you don't have time to grill) you can always bake the chicken. Although the taste will be different, I've done this before and it is still very delicious!

Oh, and don't forget the rice! Eating this chicken with a side of rice cannot be beat. 

EunSung says, "Mahni deu se yo." ((Please enjoy plentifully)) 

Happy Birthday Anne Frank! / Book Review of Margot by Jillian Cantor

Happy Birthday Anne Frank! So many of your birthdays were stolen from you but your story and (what should have been) Margot's will never be forgotten. 

Providence: Today I finished reading Margot by Jillian Cantor and after I finished, I took a few minutes to search the internet for some background information on Anne Frank's family and time in hiding. I quickly realized that today, June 12th, would have been Anne Frank's 85th birthday! It was almost as if I was destined to read this book. 

Premise: It’s 1959 and Margie Franklin is in hiding. She’s good at the covert life because she’s been doing it since 1942. Margie Franklin is actually Margot Frank, sister of Anne Frank. She lives in fear in America, terrified of being made to relive the horrors she experienced during the Holocaust.

Plight of Margot: Margot is a completely fictional "what if" novel telling of what Margot Frank might have become if she had survived the Holocaust. Thus, a good amount of imagination and research were required on Cantor's behalf to make this storyline work and believable. I was definitely hooked. I remember reading about Anne Frank when I was a child but like many others, Margot was such a minor character in my mind that if someone had asked me if Anne had had any siblings, I might have said no. Now, I am hopelessly (and eternally) curious about Margot's own experience in the annex. Anne Frank's own diary tells us that Margot kept a diary, too, but now we know that it was never recovered. In this fictional account of the aftermath of Margot's holocaust experiences, Margot deals with PTSD (although undiagnosed in the 1950s), issues of her religious identity, survivor shame, loss, and so many other harrowing traumas. 

There are many pages in which I could not believe that Margot/Margie had not yet cracked from her tortuous memories which only intensified as she constantly sought to hide her true identity. She encounters painful flashbacks that cause the reader to sympathize and mourn her multitudinous losses. There were a few pages where I teared up, realizing that for the Jews that survived the Holocaust, another journey, a journey of healing and to wholeness, was still ahead of them. 

Praise: When I was not reading this story, I was Googling the lives of the Franks to refresh my mind of their story. A good historical fiction novel should do just that: cause the reader to become newly interested in what actually happened in the time period in which the novel takes place (or what the novel refers back to, as is the pattern of this novel). 

Predicament: I previously mentioned that the author, Jillian Cantor, did an exceptional job researching the Franks and making this unusual storyline work. However, there is one thing that bothered me. Back in the annex, Margot tells us that she and Peter had planned to meet in Philadelphia after the war. However, the way that Margot gets to Philadelphia is too coincidental. After she escapes from Auschwitz, Margot eventually resides with a family friend named Eduard. Eduard has a sister and brother-in-law who live in Philadelphia who agree to take in Margot. It is there upon her arrival that Margot becomes Margie. Perhaps minor to most, but the coincidence of Eduard's sister living in the same city where Margot planned to meet Peter irked me.  

I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction but if I can get my hands on more books like this, I would move historical fiction up on my list of preferred genres to read. If historical fiction is your thing and you have not yet read Margot, I really don't know what you're waiting for. Go get it and leave me a suggestion for another historical fiction book that I should consider reading. 

Review of Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

“What if we had a chance to do it again and again, until we finally did get it right? Wouldn't that be wonderful?” 
- Edward Beresford Todd

The Breakdown: Baby Girl is born. Baby Girl dies. Rewind. Baby Girl is born. Baby Girl lives. She grows. She dies. Rewind.

The Basics: Life After Life is about Ursula, a curious girl born into the Todd family in 1910 England. After a few "rewinds" of her life back to the first breath she does/doesn't take, Ursula realizes that she's different.  On the surface, this novel by Kate Atkinson appears to be a textual (and more serious) version of Groundhog Day or Sliding Doors. Just to jog your memory of the two 1990s movies just mentioned, Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day becomes fully aware that he is doing the same day repeatedly (sometimes driving him mad, sometimes causing him to seek personal growth) whereas in Sliding Doors we are given the opportunity to see how one choice made by Gwyneth Paltrow's character is played out based on whether she gets on a train or misses the train. Nevertheless, Atkinson's storyline is much deeper and complex than both of those films for a couple of different reasons. One, Ursula merely has feelings that she has "done this before" and two, Ursula learns to identify her déjà vu instincts which communicate to her to act differently, bolder, or more sensitively this time. During certain versions of her life, Ursula, aware of her repeat existence, manages to make life altering decisions or react to life altering events.

The Baffling: On more than one occasion and at various times in Ursula's existence(s), I found myself hoping that Ursula would die so that her life could have chance at betterment next time. These thoughts bothered me once I realized I had them and I couldn't help but wonder if Atkinson was playing with her readers, causing them to look within themselves concerning the value of every single life. I'm eager to see if any other readers felt this way or if I'm the lone morbid reader.

The Bad: I would like to preface this section by saying that just because one person feels like there are holes in a storyline or that there are negatives, that does not mean that the book should be tossed from reading consideration. The story raised a lot of questions within me and after reading it (possibly a spoiler) I questioned, "When does it stop?" That being said, Kate Atkinson, let's do tea. I would love to ask you a few questions about the last fifty or so pages. I have questions that need answering!

Now, if my need to have tea and a chat with the author doesn't scare you off, keep reading.

The Best: Overall, I felt like this novel maintained a strong metaphor for the one life we are given. Despite the fact that Ursula lives a circular existence (although she refers to it as palimpsest), since we are not actually given the opportunity to go back and "fix" things, I believe that this story could persuade a person to be more thoughtful in the decisions that he or she makes.

The Believer: On a spiritual note, Ursula's life was exhausting. It made me grateful that I have only one life to live and that as a Christian, I have Christ Jesus, the surety for all of the many mistakes I make and have made and opportunities I miss and have missed. There's a hymn I love that says, "Love cannot from its post withdraw; nor death, nor hell, nor sin, nor law, can turn the Surety's heart away; He'll love His own to endless day." Ursula's therapist in one part of the novel quotes from 1 Corinthians 13 and I paraphrase: if I have the gift of prophecy, and faith to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. Ursula somewhat had the gift of prophecy, she maintained faith in what she felt she needed to do, moving metaphorical mountains in her life, and yet was so tightly wound into her perplexing life that true love and her dependence on the Giver of life and love, remained out of her grasp for much of the novel.

Overall, if you can handle joy, sadness, bittersweetness, joy, sadness, and bittersweetness, this might just be the next book for you to read.


Side B - Be on the Lookout: If you do choose to read this novel, pay attention to the motif of foxes. They recur throughout the novel and are subtle yet significant.

Book Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

"Eleanor was right: She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something." - Park Sheridan

Recapitulation: Boy rides the school bus & has his own seat. Red headed Girl begins to ride the bus and needs a seat. Boy [very very very] reluctantly scoots over. Boy harshly judges Girl. Girl is a misfit. Boy feels like a misfit. Something indescribable begins. 

Regarding the Read: A few months ago, I saw a photo that someone posted [I think it was on instagram] of a really sweet quote from this book. I filed Eleanor & Park in the "Novels to Consider" folder in the deep crevices of my mind. Side Note: I cannot find the photo that I originally saw that caused me to catalog this book in my head and frankly, that upsets me! If it was you, speak up! The person has come forward! Thanks Thuyvi for solving the mystery. :-) 

Refreshing: The two main characters are very unique. 

• Eleanor has bright red curly hair, and is (repeatedly) described as being chubby. Although it seems that she exaggerates her weight (see Point #3 under Relishing), I loved that I could relate to her struggles yet she wasn't obsessed with "fixing" herself like so many girls try to do. She is 100% herself.
• Park's mom is from Korea and his dad is a white American. My husband is Korean [and I am a white American] and I thought it was so great that a main character in a popular, current book is multiracial. It gives me hope that more authors will think to include multiracial/multicultural characters in their books. But more than that, Park is described as a handsome guy who is honest with himself concerning both his shameful feelings and his desire to be a rescuer.

Relishing:  Eleanor & Park was one of my favorite books in awhile because of the following topics within the tale: 

1. Awkward teenage love. The book is written in the third person limited, which was incredibly refreshing (since I am tired of books written in the first person). However, Rowell switched from being limited to Park's thoughts to being limited to Eleanor's thoughts by labeling their respective sections as eleanor or park. Eleanor and Park were emotionally effusive in their words to one another yet, as was revealed in their personal thoughts by the limited narration, they always wanted to say even more. Oh man. Teenage love! As a high school teacher, I think this is SPOT ON. Teenagers-in-relationships are some of the gushiest human beings alive. Although it can be awkward, annoying, and silly, there's often a purity to the fresh feelings, especially when the lovestruck teens put those feelings into words. I think that's why when adults revisit their memories of first crushes, dates, and loves, it can make anyone    s q u i r m,     even years or decades later! 

2. Bullying. Before reading this book, I would want someone to go in fully aware of the bullying that Eleanor endures. Yes, endures. The book was set in 1986 when the metaphorical flag of bullying awareness was not yet flying. I say, it's sad that it wasn't. I take bullying seriously, and I'm thankful that so many school systems are on guard. Obviously this doesn't mean that no one ever stood up for the victims of bullying in the 1980s, but it seemed like a "Kids will be kids" mentality was prevalent until a few years ago. Furthermore, Eleanor was judged and then bullied based on her outward appearance (both clothes and looks). Coming from a poor and abusive family background, few seemed to care about what was going on in Eleanor's home life and instead focused on how they could verbally humiliate her based on her exterior. 

3. Body image/insecurity. The last things that both bothered and intrigued me were Eleanor's insecurities. She often described herself as being fat and constantly wondered why Park liked her. Nevertheless, I do believe these thoughts are what made Eleanor a very believable high school character. Although some adult women [e.g. me] sometimes still hear those voices that say, "I'm so fat!" and "Ugh! Ugly!" upon looking in the mirror, I remember that those voices were that much louder in high school and the (not) funny thing is, I was much smaller and more fit back then.  Self-acceptance is a lifetime journey and hearing Eleanor's thoughts made me want to pull her out from the pages, give her a hug, and tell her that she is beautiful. Incredibly corny, I know, but I'm actually glad that this book had that kind of influence on me; I believe that it has helped me to recall and relate to those feelings of self-loathing that are pervasive in the teenage years. 

Overall, this is an enjoyable book. I loved it.

Red Alerts: If cursing and language bother you, you might not want to read this book. It pains me to say that, but I would hate to recommend a book that would insult anyone based on the content. However, I will make an argument for reading it anyways. The cursing/language didn't bother me because a) it was mostly not coming from the two main characters,  b) it revealed the verbal abuse that Eleanor was plagued by, and c) it made me sick and angry over how bullies taunt their victims with a cruel use of something we all share: language. With the ubiquity of text messaging and ridiculous social apps, the reality is that we do not much consider the power of our words. Rowell's purposeful use of obscene language could easily empower readers to actually change how they speak, write, or text upon seeing the result.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

"You read a lot of capital-G great books, don't you?" - Augustus Waters

Premise: Girl has cancer. Goes to Support Group. Meets Boy who had cancer. He stares at her. She stares back. They become friends. Girl is hesitant, doesn't want to scar Boy. Boy seeks her out anyways.


Why I finally read this book:

Two things led me to read this book. First of all, I might as well be honest. I am intrigued by the roles in which Shailene Woodley chooses to play. I haven't yet seen much of a trend (meaning, limited genres) with her movies, which is refreshing since she is so young, could still potentially be easily typecast, and is choosing a variety of characters to play.  I saw a preview for The Fault in Our Stars but somewhat wrote it off thinking, "It'll be way too sad. It's still awhile before it comes out. I'll think about it."

The second reason is a text conversation with my cousin Elizabeth. It went something like this:

Me: You need to tell me the books you read as you read them so I'll know [what I should be reading]!

[after Cousin Elizabeth listed off roughly 30 books, complete with comments like "NY TIMES BEST SELLER NOT WORTH THE HYPE"]

Cousin Elizabeth: Fault in our stars. My heart. I can't. So good


Although Elizabeth literally told me nothing about the book, something about her disconnected fragmented text sentence oozed appreciation for what she read and it grabbed me in a weak moment. I ordered it with Amazon Prime 2-day shipping within a few days.
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Why I enjoyed this book:

Since I finished The Fault in Our Stars  last night at 11pm after binge reading it off and on in a 30 hour period, I realized I should probably type down some thoughts. I have three reasons why I liked this book:

1. The main character Hazel, an incredibly pensive young girl. I really came to love her as she worked through the war that was quietly playing out within her. She was the perfect combination of angst-y, insecure teenager, and "had-to-contemplate-issues-like-death-and-dying-too-soon" cancer patient. 
2. Hazel is a huge reader (see Augustus' observation of her in the quote at the top) and embeds many insightful quotes, lines, and allusions into her conversations with others and as she tries to reconcile her role as a terminally ill person among the healthy. 
3. Families. Lately, it seems that many books and story lines eliminate the need for the support of a family. I really appreciated that although minor characters, Hazel and Augustus' families were there for them. By using the families in the supportive role, the reader was able to get a taste of the suffering they experienced at being unable to do so much for their children, and that both Hazel and her parents and Augustus and his parents wanted to do what they could for one other, usually through the desire to help lessen probable future pain.

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Why you should read this book:

It is healthy to read something that causes us sadness. It is cultural for westerners to avoid sadness, which is why we (i.e. I) squirm when pictures of starving children appear on the screen and why I try to make my husband forget that he suggested watching whichever foreign film he wants to see where everyone dies in the end.

But the truth is, I didn't cry when or after reading this book for whatever reason and I'm okay with that reality. I feel confident that John Green didn't wake up and say, "I'm going to write a book that will make thousands of people cry!" This is a book that should make you ponder the meaning of life, how we view others, and how we treat others and the world around us.

Green seems to make the argument that it's important that we stop worrying about making a lasting mark on the universe and instead, to deeply consider the likely effect we will have on people (and consequently, the universe) upon forming relationships with others. Although I did not agree with all of the eclectic philosophical views mulled over throughout the book, I did appreciate the message that was being sent about how we, as a society, should take more thought into how we affect others rather than falsely believing the notion of "I am the center of the universe; look at me! Look at me!"

Overall, The Fault in Our Stars will make you consider if there's any "fault...not in our own stars, but in ourselves" (Shakespeare).