by Erin Danielle Russell
Illustrations by Tamisha Anthony
Viking
an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC
2024
40 pages
ISBN: 978059346438
Every family, including found families, has foods and dishes with shared experiences and memories. When both sets of grandparents decide to visit Hana's family, she wants to do something nice for all of them. How does she bring two cultural identities together and blend them both into a yummy dish?
Hana remembers eating gumbo in South Carolina with one set of grandparents and she remembers the pot of kimchi-jjigae in her other grandmother's kitchen in South Korea. She wants to honor both sets of grandparents and begins by making a roux. She adds andouille and bell peppers and then adds kimchi and gochujang to make a delicious, aromatic stew.
When the grandparents arrive, they are greeting by the delicious smell of the food. They guess it must be soul food. The others think it smells like Korean food. Hana tells them everyone is right, but it's not soul food, it's Seoul food. The two sides of the family bond over the meal and agree that even though they live a great distance apart, they should visit each other's homes and share their familial bond of love and food.
Seoul Food is a lovely picture book that celebrates the love and laughter that happens over shared food. Different cultures can come together and make a fantastic recipe for happiness.
Highly recommended for every picture book collection and every child, especially those with multiracial families like Hana's.
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