Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Linda Sue Park and Korean Culture
As I was reading Linda Sue Park’s book, Project Mulberry, several aspects of the writing caught my attention. I was brought back to a time when I read A Single Shard, another book written by Linda Sue Park and the similarities between the two became easily recognizable. In both books, there is a strong emphasis on the traditional characteristics of the Korean culture. It became evident that Linda Sue Park knows very much about what she writes. As it turns out, she is Korean herself and, although she was born in Illinois, she is the daughter of Korean immigrants and an insider. In an interview, she mentions that her parents, strong believers or racial equality, brought her up using many traditional Korean ways. One tradition predominantly present in both books is the aspect of food. She uses many examples of historical Korean foods and eating traditions in her books. Do you think because she came from a Korean family, she also associates food with continuing the traditions of Korean culture in the US?
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I think that Park does associate food with continuing the Korean culture. You can tell how big of a role it plays in "Project Mulberry" with Julia who does not particularly like some key traditional Korean dishes, but she does share them with others, like Patrick and Mr. Dixon, to educate them on Korean.
But I also think that food is a big part of most cultures. Just about every culture as holiday where particular foods. Food is universal and it unites everyone. The different ingredients, prepartions and the way of presenting it help define a culture. It is also a great starting point for someone new to a culture to begin learning about it.
In response to your food question- I feel that food is a very strong piece of culture. People who live in London eat food that is very different from those in the South Pacific Islands. However, they hold in common their desire for food (as does any other human being). Whether it is due to climate, resources, or taste, food is one of the few things that really bring people together no matter where it is from. I feel that by Park falling back on food, she is trying to relate back to a bond that we ALL feel with food. If it is a meal shared with family, or really good friends, or a special dish from your culture, almost everyone at some point has had an experience of charing food with loved ones or people they share something in common with. Maybe, while it is a soft spot for her and her family, she is also trying to relate to reader who have no experience with the Korean culture or food, but do have experience in sharing food with loved ones. It would be one strategy that would make this book more marketable to others outside of the culture.
I'll bring some of Park's other books to class today and Monday (section 2). This isn't a food connection, but I thought it was interesting that Parks writes "as the author" in sections between chapters. This gives some insight into how she drew on her own life experiences for the book.
I feel that because the US is a country made up of people from a number of other countries its citizens must find ways to carry on their ethnic cultures so as to protect their identities. Perhaps the most obvious way to do this is to continue to cook and eat traditional foods. This is kimchee in Project Mulberry and for my family it is kolach (a Polish/Czechoslovakian dessert that no family Christmas is complete without),
I think that food is a dominant aspect in many other cultures. Many events and other cultural activities revolve around food. This is also the case in some religions. Food can convey emotion, give insight to the culture or religion in question, bring people together, and much more. To me it is no surprise that food (in this case kimchee) is used to represent a part of the Korean culture. It is also no surprise that the interactions we see in the book with food change friendships for Julia. I think that food and certain recipes is also something that can be passed on from generation to generation and continue in many places that the dominant place for that particular culture. It is something you can take with you where ever you go.
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