For the first two months after I arrived U.S., I usually ate out at restaurants. The biggest reason was that I was not good at cooking. It was because I believe the most intuitive way to experience other countries’ cultures is by eating their food when I visit. And, I was not good at cooking. Fortunately, I like Western foods so I could try lots of delicious dishes.

However, eating outside costs a lot. Basically, $15-$20 for one meal, and it increases including tip. Despite Korean prices also getting higher these days, it costs around $10 per meal and there is no tip culture. But because the price is high, the portions of American food are huge. I could barely eat a whole dish in one sitting and mostly boxed it up for later. Moreover, for me, whose taste is quite bland and mild, Western foods are quite intense. Recently, I finally started cooking by myself, and I am looking back on the memories of cooking with people.

During my first month in the U.S., I stayed in an Airbnb. The house owner was a Mexican man, and he sometimes shared his breakfast with me. My favorite was the salsa sauce he made that consisted of tomato, onion, garlic, etc. If I put the sauce on top of a fried egg with slices of avocado and it made the food more flavorful.

San Diego’s unique culinary scene features a lot of Mexican foods because the border is so close. In particular, a salmon taco that I tried in Oceanside was delicious. The geographical characteristics of San Diego, which is on the coast, and Mexican food are combined to fully bring out the atmosphere where I am.

Pidan soup and Nabe were also impressive dishes that my friends made for us. Pidan soup is a Chinese soup made of preserved duck egg, which is called Pidan. We also put in rice, corn, carrot, pork, etc. To be honest, I was surprised by Pidan’s vivid color and strong taste at first time. But after boiling it for a few minutes, it went well with other ingredients. Also, I enjoyed its interesting texture – like a pudding.

Nabe is a Japanese hot pot made of cabbage, green onion, mushroom, tofu, pork, etc. This is one of the famous Japanese foods in Korea, too. It looks quite simple to make, but it was as savory as I expected.

Tteokbokki was the Korean dish that I treated my friends to. This is known as a spicy rice cake. I made it often because it is delicious and simple to cook, but also Korea’s representative food. Rice cake, Gochujang (Red pepper paste), and red pepper powder are the elemental ingredients, and I add leek and egg. I like spicy foods, but for those who can’t eat hot foods, well, I sometimes put cheese on top. I would like to learn more Korean recipes for my people.

I thought cooking and eating were just for our needs and not more than that. However, there is a taste that you don’t know without trying it. I wouldn’t know that I like avocados if I didn’t try guacamole. Furthermore, now I know how valuable time is when I think of my beloved people while I prepare dishes and the time when I share delicious food. Even though my friends and I are physically far away now, I still visit restaurants where we went and remember them with the memories that we ate together. Maybe I will be reminded of San Diego by eating tacos when I go back to Korea. It could be a taste that I like or not, but I will continue to eat this and that.

Juri Kim is an international intern from Korea.