Brent Kim
Brent Kim
Guilty Pleasure: Dissecting the Relationship Between Food, Heritage, and Language
Food has the potential to reveal the values and traits of one’s cultural identity in less limited ways than language or endless introspection. Certain ingredients, flavors, textures, processes, etcetera, are indicative of the experience, environment, and cultural norm that influenced the genesis of a dish. Cooking is a form of storytelling, eating a form of listening. The products of these practices serve as bookmarks in our collective history. Does the lack of certain cultural labels affect the appeal or appreciation of a dish? Can language be generalized to the point that preconceptions and bias are less likely to form, allowing for less inhibited explorations of different cuisines? Like a designed object, a culinary dish is developed with a specific audience in mind. I consider the food I make a love letter to epicureans like me who are unafraid to embrace the unfamiliar, who daydream about their next tantalizing repast. I have spent the past year reconnecting with my Korean-American heritage by conducting at-home culinary trials, working in a commercial kitchen that serves contemporary Korean-American cuisine (@perillachicago), and interviewing experienced individuals with similar cultural backgrounds. My research culminated in the form of a dinner pop-up to test my hypothesis.
Brent Kim
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