“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.” –Mahatma Gandhi

In my first year seminar ASIA 58H: Chasing Madame Butterfly, I expressed in class that I have been experiencing an identity crisis because of issues related to cultural authenticity. In my hometown Seoul, Korea, I was perceived as a Korean American because the way I dress and behave “seemed like American to Koreans” while in America, I was often told that I look like an Asian. Even though I ethnically identified myself as an Asian, I became little bit frustrated with this divergence because I didn’t know where I actually belonged. Then I asked myself few questions:

“What created the standard of being an authentic Asian/ American? What does it mean to be a real Asian/ American?”

I thought for a while, and the only answer I could come up with so far is that everything is relative; cultural authenticity is a human made standard, so it is an abstract concept to be defined practically. I also concluded that what is especially important culture-wise, for me, is to cherish a good balance between being a Korean in America and being an Asian in America. However, as I thought about the apparent Asians’ obsession with Western products, I thought I saw something wrong. I thought that the balance was being skewed, with Asians losing the value of their culture. For example, when I lived in Thailand for two years, Thais would buy a product made in America because they thought it seemed “better” than that made in their country. Granted, people’s psychology can operate in a way that are are more attracted to something that seems superior. Nevertheless, I saw this issue as problematic because we cannot crave for something that seems “better” forever. Does this tendency imply Western superiority over the East, as it has been depicted in the old Hollywood movies based in Asian settings?

Therefore, when I was working on this audio essay, a piece that should encompass a personal experience or a cultural issue while making a connection to a poem, I thought it would be best for me to present my personal reflections as powerfully as I could because I was expected to record my own voice. I decided to explore this cultural issue, with the connection to my personal experience. I presented fried chicken culture in Korea as an example, because food has been a big part of every culture (and I shouldn’t forget to tell you, I enjoy eating fried chicken). At first, I found an interesting poem Eating Fried Chicken written by a Vietnamese poet Linh Dinh and recorded as many sound effects as possible. As I was writing down the script, however, I struggled to make an explicit connection between food and culture and felt that I included too many sound effects to be engaged in listening. For my revision, I shortened the length of the poem, reading only the first stanza of it (and most relevant to my essay), included sound effects only essential for the essay, and did my best to make a clear connection with cultural aspects. I also added a new song <Variations on a Korean Folk Song> for an ending to leave a “Korean-like impression.” Trying to think about an explicit connection and tightening up my language at the same time inhibited my progress, but I believe I have learned to be vocal about what I see in a specific culture and wrap up with suggestions.

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This is the draft of the audio essay:


And here is the file of revision:

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Here is the transcript of the revision:

Eating Fried Chicken – Linh Dinh

I hate to admit this, brother, but there are times

The excerpt from Linh Dinh’s poem reveals that not everything in Asia is Asian. For example, in my home country South Korea, you will surprisingly see McDonald’s and Christian churches everywhere. But do you know what you will see most often?

Koreans eating fried chicken.

Growing up in Korea, my brother and I would often ask my parents to order fried chicken for dinner or a late night snack. Whenever I saw the crispy skin covering the hot chicken, I thought of nothing else but devouring it like the narrator of the poem. So fatty, so unhealthy, but like Linh Dinh, I forgot about my family, honor and country as I had a sight fixed on my fried chicken leg. No thoughts of healthy Korean food at all. Had my ancestors seen, they would have thought I was a disgrace.

Fried chicken is a staple in the South, but I can assure you, without exaggeration, it is ubiquitous, in all regions in Korea. There are at least five chicken places just in my town, and
they are crowded every night. I even used to work at a fried chicken restaurant in front of my house. I would see adults savoring chicken wings with pickled radish and children biting off the white skin of drumsticks. I was also in awe of Koreans’ fried chicken creativity. In octopus chicken, fried chicken and fried octopus are served together with citron oriental dressing.  Marinated soy sauce fried chicken is covered with thick soy sauce. Koreans also enjoy chicken with green onion and sauce. And apparently, there is fried chicken called Korean fried chicken, which is covered in sauce made of sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and gochujang, and it is a Korean condiment made from red chili, salt, glutinous rice and fermented soy beans. Ironically, however, Korean fried chicken is literally called “flavored fried chicken” in Korea, a name mostly used by non-Koreans. I realized that fried chicken in Korea has become part of our culture.

Koreans not only eat fried chicken for meals but also as a snack with alcoholic beverages. It is the number one delivery food in Korea, and Koreans even call it “chineuneem,” a Korean word which combines chicken and God together. The word is so widely used that it is even in the dictionary, and Koreans invented another word, “chilelluya,” to praise “chineuneem.” But why why isn’t any Korean food referred as almighty? I haven’t heard anyone saying “kimchineuneem” or “bibimluya.” Without doubt, Koreans would think those made-up words sound really awkward.  I don’t know. I just think we have taken our love with fried chicken too far. 

So what is it to be an authentic Korean? There is no exact answer, and there are so many ways for us to appreciate our native culture such as language, music, clothes, and tourist attractions.

Liking non-Korean food should not make us feel guilty. We can go to Italian restaurants to eat pasta, or a French bakery to buy a croissant. There is nothing wrong with exploring cuisine from different culture and slightly changing its taste to make it suit to our appetite. What matters though, is a good balance between our interest in foreign food and our own culture. That balance will make sure we can honor our traditional values and still enjoy the occasional drumsticks.

Thank you for listening.

You will be able to see the link of my walk-through videos of the audio essay right below, which will provide details and my personal reflections of this assignment in depth.  

1. Revision Video