It's really moving to see him express his feelings so calmly after overcoming all the confusion and hardships he faced as a second-gen immigrant.
One year has passed. It's been a year since I visited Korea. It's been a year since I became famous because of 'Culinary Class Wars'. It was the first time I saw Korea from the inside, not just from the outside. A year has gone by, and my life has completely changed. My blood is now the color of gochugaru drying in the Sunchang sun. I've grown to love spicy food so much that I can't sleep on days I don't have kimchi. I cried so much this year, and those warm tears felt like Busan’s summer rain. But those tears weren't from sadness. They came from a deep happiness and emotion I never thought I’d feel. For the first time in my life, I visited many places in Korea. I walked the mountain paths of Andong for the first time. I went fishing in Yeosu for the first time. I had Jajangmyeon in Incheon for the first time, and the familiar taste felt brand new. I still don't understand the dialect of Jeju Island—I don't know the words—but I can feel the meaning. When I went to Sokcho and saw the waves crashing against the shore, I felt like I had become those waves. Did I suddenly wash into Korea like a wave? I think to myself: Do I belong here? Or will I just be pulled back into the dark sea like a wave? I don't want to be a breaking wave. I want to be the seaweed clinging to the rocks of Korea and call it my home. I grew up in New York. I had a hard but wonderful childhood in America. I loved the house I grew up in, and I loved my parents. But in my heart, there was always an unspoken feeling: I was Korean. I didn't know how to express that. The only way I could connect to Korea was through food. I waited 51 years for the chance to find my roots. I never knew I'd be able to call myself Korean until this year—until I saw the smiles and love of the Korean people. I want to say thank you to everyone. I can never fully express my gratitude. Over the past year, my heart has grown as big as a camellia flower. This year, my daughter seems to have grown more because she ate so much jeotgal (salted seafood). Her jaw shape even changed because she ate so much. But the biggest change was my eyes. My eyes capture scenes of Korea like a photograph. When I walk through the busy streets of Seoul, in Myeongdong or Gangnam, I stop and watch. Hundreds of Korean faces gathered in their busy lives. And to my eyes, it's the most beautiful painting in the world. Could I one day be one of them? Lee Kyun Edward Kwon Lee
"The community is deeply moved by Chef Lee's poetic and heartfelt journey to finding his roots in Korea."
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