Craving for a Home Away from Home
Lauren Kim
At my international boarding high school in Southern Germany, it was almost impossible to find Korean food. I vividly remember the day I ran across a Korean food truck at an U.S. military base in Stuttgart, Germany. Food is an especially important part of my Korean identity. Even when Koreansgreet each other, rather than saying ‘How are you doing?’ or ‘Let’s catch up!’, the Korean equivalent would be ‘Have you been eating well?’ or ‘We should grab a meal together.’ So finding a place that sold Korean food in Germany, was finding a part of home, family, and myself. I think the same went for the food truck ‘ahjumma,’ which is a friendly name for older Korean women, who was so happy to see a bunch of Korean students in a rural area of Germany. The neighborhood she resided in barely had any Koreans, while my boarding school’s student population was around fifteen percent Korean students. As our school traveled to Stuttgart for basketball and soccer games, we connected heart to heart, and she took special interest in us, giving us an extra egg or more sauce to take back to our dorm. We found a component of home away from home, and this came to me as a comfort in a foreign land.
Living in a dorm, I often felt the absence of home, so cooking and eating Korean food made me feel included. Once a week in the dorm, on Sundays, we were able to use the dorm kitchen to cook whatever we wanted. I took this opportunity to cook Korean food for my fellow dorm sisters, both Korean and non-Korean students. At first, some students considered the cuisine too exotic or too spicy. But one by one, their interest in Korean food grew, and by the end of my senior year, I was cooking Sunday lunch for the whole dorm. Those afternoon meals sparked my passion for cooking and brought me and my dorm sisters closer together.
After high school, I came to Berkeley for college. When I first left Germany, I never thought I would miss a bratwurst, yet these days, walking past Top Dog, I am reminded of the juicy bratwurst I ate on the streets of Freiburg, giving me a sense of nostalgia for Germany. Morning pastries at Peet’s coffee make my mouth water as I think of French chocolate croissants (or more exactly saying, pain au chocolat), and takes me back to the weekend breakfast tables where I laughed with joy and happiness in my dorm.
Almond croissant from Southern France. The town where I lived in Germany bordered France, which meant buttery pastries were available every breakfast!
From my experiences in Germany, and the recent phenomena of missing German food in Berkeley, I realized that food is an essential component of home. Missing food from one place doesn’t only mean missing the flavor of it, but also missing the fellowship and experience that was shared with that food. Just as one misses their home, one also misses the food shared at that home. Home can be defined by food and food can bring one back home. When I started missing German cuisine in Berkeley, I realized that although I hadn’t noticed before Germany had become one of my homes. This feeling of craving was different from missing an exotic cuisine from a trip, but rather longing for a part of my soul.
As soon as I arrived in Berkeley, I hunted for places where they served authentic Korean cuisine, and this adventure has given me great joy. Through eating food from my home country, I feel connected to home, while also feeling connected to the local community. Eating Korean food not only takes me back to Korea but also brings a part of that home here.
As I mentioned briefly above, another big component of nostalgia to home and food is the sharing aspect. Through sharing food, fellowship is valued, joy is multiplied, and smiles go up. The experience of eating is only complete when it is shared with others. For that reason, I want to share a few spots that took me back home to Korea. I hope that through these recommendations, you get a glimpse of my home, and also feel connected with Korea!
#Berkeley Area
Kimchi Garden - 2517 Durant Ave suite b, Berkeley, CA 94704
Probably one of the most approachable Korean restaurants around the UC Berkeley campus is Kimchi Garden. Serving various styles of Korean food, spicy and mild, hot and cold, light and filling, it caters to both hardcore Korean food lovers, and Korean food newbies! The price range falls on the cheaper end (most menu items are less than 12 dollars), so it is a perfect spot to go out with friends, or pick up for a fun movie night. Some dishes I would recommend for first timers are
Kimchi-fried rice (with extra cheese!) and Duk Bok Gi (Korean Rice Cake).
2. Seoul Hotdog - 2505 Hearst Ave D, Berkeley, CA 94709
As implied by the name, Seoul Hotdog specializes in Korean style corn dogs. Mukbang videos have made Korean style corndogs a trendy snack. Even as a person who does not enjoy American style corn dogs, I can devour a Korean style corn dog whole since Korean hot dogs are less greasy than American style corn dogs. As soon as you walk into Seoul Hotdog, vibrant K-pop and friendly staff welcome you. Seoul hotdog is a good place to stop by before or after class for a midday snack, and it is also very affordable. They have a wide range of hotdogs, but I personally prefer the mozza dog the most!
If you are free from dietary restrictions, I highly recommend ordering corndogs
with cheese in it!
You can choose different sauces to put on the corndog
To amplify your experience even more, order a serving to-go of duk bok gi (Korean style spicy rice cakes) from Kimchi Garden, and eat it with a corndog from Seoul Hotdog. This is a popular, trendy way a lot of Koreans eat.
#Oakland
3. Don Blanc -4390 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
The options above are more affordable and approachable, while Don Blanc is a place to visit on special occasions. I myself went there to celebrate Chuseok, which is Korean Thanksgiving, with my friends. Korean Thanksgiving is traditionally a time to celebrate the harvest of the year, but in modern times, it is a time to reflect and be thankful for family, friends and those around you. Don Blanc is a Korean BBQ place, and the quality of the menu, the service, and the cleanliness is outstanding. As soon as we walked in, my friends and I looked at each other and said “Is this Korea?” Although it is quite pricey, every once in a while (especially when you are home sick) it is necessary to treat yourself to some good, authentic food! For first timers (and even K-BBQ connoisseurs) I recommend their
Deluxe or Supreme Set menu
(that comes with a variety of side dishes and three choices of Korean BBQ meat)
Thanks to these places, my time here at Berkeley has been splendid so far. I still do miss my home back in South Korea, but I know that I’ll have places to go to when I feel homesick. Furthermore, I am excited to explore more places around Berkeley, and find more amazing Korean restaurants.
My adventure here at Berkeley has just begun, but I wonder, after four years, which food would I associate Berkeley with? At that time, will Berkeley be a home to me?