by jessica yoon
This month is my grandparents’ 60th anniversary. To celebrate we’ve planned a number of festivities, the first of which was a family dinner party. They put me in charge of the menu, which was a big responsibility, especially because the other hosting candidates were professional caterers and fancy hotel restaurants, but I gave it my all and played the granddaughter card, which definitely scored me some extra points!
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I’m in Korea! After resting for a week (…or actually two), I’ve finally eased my way back into the kitchen. I never realized how difficult it would be to cook at home versus a commercial kitchen, but it’s been fun making what I’ve learned for my family. Things don’t always come out as polished and nice as I want them too, but it just makes me realize how much more I need to practice and learn.
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Dessert after dinner is a rare event at my family’s dinner table. Growing up, we usually ate fruit in the evening, a couple hours after the dinner table was cleared. In general, I think this is common amongst many Korean households. However, when special occasions arise, frosted cakes and sweet pastry flakes make an appearance after dinner.
For the past couple of weeks, I have been in San Diego where my Grandparents live. When I was younger, the entire family migrated over here for the summer, and the house burst full of aunts, uncles, cousins, extended cousins, and friends. Now that we are all older, living all over the place, and no longer cute enough to attend summer camp, family reunions and large group gatherings happen rarely. However, a couple of days ago, almost by mere chance, a few familiar faces were able to come together. In celebration of this special occasion, I decided a dessert should be called for.
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