Kristen Kish's Return To Her Birth Country Was Beautifully Complicated
'I thought I was supposed to feel this wave of emotion of 'Oh my god, I'm home.' I thought I was supposed to look out into the world of Korean people and feel like I belonged. But it didn't happen,' she tells me over a lavish spread at Borit Gogae, a cozy Korean restaurant in Los Angeles' Koreatown that specializes in banchan. 'I felt more like a tourist and a visitor, which I certainly was and am. But I felt guilty for not feeling those feelings.'
It took her a couple days to realize she couldn't force a moment of emotional revelation. 'Me not feeling anything doesn't mean that I have any less respect for where I come from. I need time to discover it,' she says. But there was one moment that gave her what she didn't know she needed. While visiting a hand-carved stamp shop, she decided to get one made with her Korean name. When the shopowner asked her what it was, she hesitated, nervous to tell her adoption story.
'I didn't want to feel like I was being judged. But he said, 'You belong here,' she pauses, her voice catching. 'That for me was the moment of the trip.'
The story didn't make it into her debut memoir, Accidentally On Purpose, released last month, but it speaks to the heart of her improbable journey — one shaped by chance and intention, clarity and ambiguity. In the book, Kish shares more about growing up as a Korean adoptee in a white Midwestern family, navigating her queer and Korean identities, and rising to become one of the most recognized chefs on television.
In our first episode of Fam Style, Kish and I sit down to talk about how Korean food has helped her connect to her heritage, the idea of belonging, and the layered journey of coming home — all over a meal that tastes like a memory.
Fam Style spotlights Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) changemakers across entertainment, food, art, and culture. Over shared meals at AAPI-owned restaurants, we sit down with creators, artists, and innovators to talk about identity, ambition, community, and the stories that shape us. Through intimate conversations and the language of food, we highlight the nuance, joy, and resilience within the AAPI experience — one dish at a time.
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Wallows Recall Morrissey Walking Out of Their Show: ‘That's the Perfect Morrissey Story'
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an hour ago
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55 Major League Eating records that belong to Joey Chestnut
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He once downed an unthinkable 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes to set the record. 2. Hot dogs Chestnut is best known for his performances in the Hot Dog Eating Contest, so it shouldn't be surprising that he broke his own record by eating 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes during the 2021 competition. 3. Pulled pork sandwiches I guess when you really think about it, pulled pork sandwiches are basically just shredded hot dogs. Right? Regardless, Chestnut ate 45 of them in 10 minutes back in 2007. 4. Taco Bell soft beef tacos Who doesn't love Taco Bell? How do 53 tacos in 10 minutes sound? That's the record Chestnut set in 2011. 5. Krystal hamburgers We're sticking in the fast-food realm here. I know Krystal burgers aren't that big, but it's still hard to imagine downing 103 of them in eight minutes like Chestnut did in 2007. 6. 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Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
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