Chili Crisp Lost in Translation

“What are you writing a book about?” my Korean parents asked. I hesitantly responded, “Chili oil.” Even though I knew chili oil wasn’t the same as chili crisp, I struggled to explain more about it. There’s no concept of chili crisp in Korean cuisine. They couldn’t quite understand what I was writing a book about, while cheering for me. I was happy that I shared this news with them, but something about this moment made me slightly sad.

Talking about food with my parents has been my way of wanting to connect with them. Even though my Korean parents never really taught me how to cook, I would ask them how to make certain dishes as a conversation starter. If I asked them how to make Korean dishes, kimchi jjigae, for example, I would see my mom’s eyes light up as she explained her simple recipes, followed by my dad sharing memories of a restaurant that sold a delicious kimchi jjigae. I always treasure those moments of joyful connections around food.