Brie Pasta and Learning to read Korean.

this is a really simple brie pasta:

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package instructions, but before draining, keep about 1 cup of pasta water. When the noodles are done, throw them in a large bowl with 1/2 a round of brie, a handful of cherry tomatoes, and black pepper. Stir vigorously, adding a little bit of pasta water as you go. It's really important that you stir AGGRESSIVELY (this helps to emulsify the starch + fat), until you get a thick creamy sauce. Garnish with fresh basil and EVOO.

Joanne Lee Molinaro is a Korean American trial lawyer, New York Times best-selling author, James Beard Award-winner, and host of the Are You Ready podcast. With nearly 5 million fans spread across her social media platforms, Joanne has appeared on The Food Network, CBS Saturday Morning, ABC's Live with Kelly and Ryan, The Today Show, PBS, and The Rich Roll Podcast. She's been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, NPR, and CNN; and her debut cookbook was selected as one of “The Best Cookbooks of 2021” by The New York Times and The New Yorker among others.

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[eastcoastemt]

When i thought I was going to die from a bad case of unrequited love, my Eomeoni said to me, "your heart is like a sword. You want a strong sword, so you heat it up, red hot, then you strike it. You heat it up & you hit it hard, over & over until you have the strongest sword." I couldn't pick my head up. I stared at my mother's old, lengthwise scars on both wrists with the large stitch marks across them. I said through tears as they evaporated down my hot cheeks, "I don't want a strong heart. I don't want to change my soft heart or who I am." Thinking back, I know my mother was trying to save me from even more heartache that she knew would eventually come with future boyfriends. There's a history of depression & suicide in my family & I think she was afraid if what I might do. I cried & cried & cried & failed out of nursing school (he was in *ALL* of my *SAME* classes). I got through the heartache & faced more from others but it was easier. Inevitably, she was right. It happened without even trying to heat up my sword.

[shrishtimittal]

When I was going through the worst heart break of my life, my mother said to me in Hindi, “Cry, love. Cry as much as you want to, let the tears flow out and then never cry over such a human being again.”

Thank you for this post, Miss Korean Vegan.❤

[annereset]

Learning the language of your ancestors is priceless. And learning so you can read your mother's writing was exceptional. ❤😊❤

[Collette-itft]

I remember my first teenage heartbreak, crying in my room and my dad came and sat with me he said "you are hurting so much right now and there is not a thing I can do to make it OK right now, so instead I'll just be here" having lost my dad at 19 years ago those memories are cherished. When I suffered true soul crushing heartbreak last year all I wanted was my parents and not having them around really was the hardest part
T

[bellee]

읽으면서 눈물 났어요. 어머니의 사랑이라는게 진짜 너무나도 아름답고, 어머님의 슬픔과 사랑이 진짜로 느껴질만큼 넘쳐나는 어머님의 메시지… ㅠ

[jabbathefluff]

Aunty, I LOVE your stories so much, so many of your stories of your parents touch our hearts. Your parents are like everyday heroes. It's all the little things, the moments of love, the joy after the sadness.

someone's cutting onions in here lol thank you, Aunty 🥰

[johnlastname]

Every language has a unique way of expressing concepts. Sometimes the words you need to hear can only be expressed in a specific language.

[bobmacpherson]

Good for your dad. My partner’s parents were told by her school in Vancouver to stop using Korean at home because she wasn’t learning English fast enough. 🤯. As I’m learning Korean the connection between culture and language is so apparent. Thank you for sharing this experience.

[superthevibe]

My French teacher in high school once wisely said “you always express love and anger in your mother tongue”. So true

[Justice]

My first language was my native language. Where I grew up it is common to also learn English. I remember telling my mother that once I moved to America I wouldn’t need to speak Hebrew (my native language) there because no one spoke it there. She looked me in the eye took my shoulders and said, people there may not speak it but people here do and that is why you should never forget it. She then sent a letter in Hebrew to me every month for almost 4 years. Sometime I look back at those letters (I saved them all) and remember how important a native language is

[lilianatucks]

We often take our native language for granted. But, no other language can be used to express the most profound emotions in a better way. Lots of love to you, Joanne! ❤

[MimiNeligan]

I love hearing stories about learning your culture because as you know I'm American and my culture was ripped away from me as I am Alaskan native American. My culture was ripped from me I'll never know what it's like. So these stories are really magical thank you for sharing. What an honor it is to be able to carry on your family legacy and traditions of the motherland that's very special😊😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤

[kpepperl]

I came to the states just old enough to know how to read basic chinese... I never kept up with writing chinese, but i kept reading newspaper on my own without my parents telling me to. I don't know why, but i wanted to feel connected as a kid. I still retained most of my ability to read. I still speak conversational chinese also, but my writing is only good for writing my own name 😅

[garrulus]

I am grieving today and your mom's words from back then even helped me. Thank you for sharing this.

[tathoiclassicalindianbollywood]

I've never heard the Korean alphabet before, and I'm so thrilled that the first 4 letters are very similar to the first 4 letters in 2 of my native tongues (Bengali and Hindi) - ours is Ka Kha Ga Gha ... so fascinating how varied languages still share similarities.

[zenmoonmaster]

사람들은 강해지는 것에 대해 이야기하지만 때로는 이전보다 더 나은 자신을 재건하기 위해 산산조각이 나야 할 때도 있습니다

[littlemyeating]

Another small note on the importance of learning to read and write in your mother tongue: The proficiency in the written form of your first language affects how well you can learn other languages later. So it also has much more positive potential in addition to this beautiful story ❤

[T.Shanthinidevi]

Takes some time for us to learn the good things our parents have done for us ❤

[natnath]

Just came from a big competition, that I didn't win. I was so disappointed with myself, but couldn't bear to shed a tear or cry. I don't want anyone to see me vulnerable, that's why I played it off like I'm fine, but i still seek for comfort. My mom asked me about the results, after finding out I didn't get in she immediately told me "Don't be feel sad, as long as you did your best, for us your already a winner maybe today is not your time to shine always remember tomorrow is another day so continue to do your best. Remember last year you didn't make it, but you made it this year and this means you have improved yourself" I kept on reading this and I'm still crying

[yuzufrio]

your mother's note brought tears to my eyes. learning one's heritage language is so powerful.