Shortly before I got pregnant with Cadence, I was part of a coterie of Korean American young women led by the inimitable Mia Park. We called ourselves Team Do!Boo!, which doesn't make sense to most people if they're not fans of Mates of State, but it meant something to us then. We had grand plans to take over the world, but never quite got around to it. What we did do, however, was to get together and learn how to make Korean food.
Most of us had grown up in the U.S., either as adoptees or 1.5 or 2nd gens. I'd say we were 80% pathetic when it came to our knowledge of cooking Korean food. The first time we got together to make mandoo (Korean dumplings), Mia had an envelope on which she'd scribbled instructions from her mom as well as a bag of packaged frozen mandoo that we used as reference. Nevertheless, we kept trying our hand at different dishes, and we even managed to make our own jars of kimchi once.
After I had Cadence, it was harder for me to get together with these ladies, but whenever I did, I would realize how much I missed them. Even though we all had diverse backgrounds, there was a sense of camaraderie and acceptance that we shared with each other that I don't know how to explain. I never had to worry about how bad my Korean was, as only one of us was fluent. There was no need to "look good" for each other, whether in physical appearance or jobs, possessions or partners, since most of us had non-mainstream sensibilities. We were open about our individual ignorance regarding Korean culture, and we tried to learn together. We explored feelings of identity--as Korean Americans, as women, as Korean American women.
I had a chance to see a few of the old gang last Saturday when we went out to a Korean restaurant to celebrate someone's adoption anniversary. The photo above is one of the dol sot (hot clay pot) bibimbaps at our table. To me, that image symbolizes what the Team Do!Boo! gals mean to me. They are my comfort food, the ones who can make me feel good and right at home even after months of not seeing them. And for that, I am grateful.
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Edited to add: I just found the old Team Do!Boo! mission statement:
team do!boo!
do boo is the korean word for tofu, an essential ingredient in asian cuisine that is used in a variety of ways...team do!boo! is a collective of young korean american women from different backgrounds who share a rich heritage and a passionate sense of individuality...some were born in the u.s...some were born in korea...others were adopted by nonkorean families...these individuals have come together to collaborate creatively and socially, to spur each other on (team) towards positive action (do!) with spunk and pride (boo!).
Ah, memories...the good old days when I didn't use capital letters...
-Sarah-Ji
