Eunice Heo, junior

Eunice Heo, junior, said she identifies as Asian, and her parents are from South Korea. Some of her family still lives there, including her aunt and uncle, cousins and grandparents. Heo was born in New York, shortly lived in South Korea and moved back to the United States. For her, traditional family meals involve an individual bowl of rice for each person served with an assortment of side dishes such as kimchi, meat or noodles.

“Something traditional we make is kimchi. Every November, we go to Chicago and buy a box of cabbage. We come back and have buckets of water and salt and start working with the cabbage. It’s really fun; it’s almost a two-day process, and it really brings the family together. It also shows my little brothers how Koreans can prepare traditional food. My dad emphasized food as a really good way to bring people together, and that’s why family dinner is important. I don’t think I’ll be okay eating without my family in the future. There’s the stereotype of the whole rice thing and using chopsticks. I want people to see beyond the rice and look into the side dishes because they are probably more important than the rice. The side dishes actually bring flavor to the meal and provide the color and smell.”