chapter 14: sisters
reading room
Hae Me is the oldest of the three of us. While you couldn’t tell
by her pit bull tendencies, she was painfully shy as a kid. With I’m-always-
surprised-looking eyes and darker skin, she didn’t look like us. Our New
York uncle called her little Vietnamese princess. We used to tease her
about how mom and dad found her under a bridge and brought her
home to live with us. We knew it bothered her but she always laugh
about it. This is one of the best qualities about Hae Me. She is one of the
kindest people I know and always good natured about our teasing.
Hae Sung is the youngest and considered the lucky charm. She was
a plump, happy baby who laughed easily. My parents nicknamed
her piggy as Koreans believe pigs are good luck but always called
her “gogi deh jahng” (meat queen) as she had an insatiable appetite
for pork, beef, chicken... actually anything edible. As it turns out, she is
lucky and things come easily to her. It’s not to say she hasn’t worked
for what she has. She’s reluctantly driven and is one of the smartest
people I know. I don’t know if it’s her outlook or fate, but life seems to
deliver the things she wants.
I am the middle child and did whatever I could to make sure I didn’t get lost in between, but somehow managed to lose my way constantly. I played catch with my dad and dress up with my mom. When I didn’t get enough attention or get my way, I cried until my face and throat throbbed. It never worked. My head was always too big for my body and people called me onion head. My sisters called me drama queen. When in 1999 I was told I had a brain tumor, I tried to let go of that drama, but I found it was not that easy.
Chapter 5: Americans Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving
Chapter 6: Paper Dolls and Airplanes
Chapter 7: Days of Summer
Chapter 8: How Do You Spell Kitchen? C-H-I-C-K-E-N
Chapter 9: Burglar with Red Socks
Chapter 11: Not It
Chapter 12: Batman v. Superman
sisters
Umma’s Set Your Lips on Fire Bi Bim Naeng Myeon (Bi Bim Nang Myun) will require at least four glasses of water to put out the flames.
HJ’s Veggies & Tofu Vermicelli Extravaganza is a wonderfully light, summery dish loaded with assortment of veggies.
Umma’s Famous Bul Go Gi - Chicken Version can be served with lettuce or tortilla wrapped like a burrito.
Grandma’s Rainy Day Kimchi (Kimchee) Noodle Soup is the best “recovery” soup after a night of too many cocktails.
I am the middle sister but can’t remember a time when there wasn’t the three of us. As kids we were each other’s best friends. As adults, we are each other’s best support system.
sisters recipes
what’s cookin’ in the kitchen
more goodbye joe excerpts
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