Seen in this picture is a person carving a roasted pig to share with other people at a community gathering. Love in this picture is embodied in the act of sharing food and enjoying each other ‘s company. This gathering happened during Lunar New Year, and it happened because my community hadn’t had a gathering since covid, and everyone wanted to see each other and reconnect fully again. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we couldn’t gather in person for a long time, so everyone felt detached from each other. This picture shows family love through our community deciding to share much missed time together. One of the most obvious scenes of love here is sharing food together. This gathering was important for me because I got to connect with some of my friends’ families. I didn’t really know my friends’ families, and it was super awkward to keep seeing them but not talking to them. But finally, at this event, I was able to get t to know them.

On a more intimate level, making food is how I show my family that I love them. It’s also how my family expresses their love for me. One of the biggest dishes that my dad makes is udon. My dad, funnily enough, always calls himself a chef and asks me to rate the food that he makes. Of course, I rate the food depending on how good it is. It became a tradition I shared with him.

Sharing food is a great form of love for Korean Americans. No matter what, we share food all the time in order to show our consideration and respect for each other. On personal levels, such as in the family, good food is a symbol of love and care. The story that my picture is trying to tell is that food being shared throughout Asian American communities is a form of unity. On community levels, the sharing of food is to show, as stated before, respect and consideration for others. When you give food to someone as a Korean, it means you thought enough about them to give them a package, personally made lunch, dinner, or even some type of appetizer. As small an action as it may be, sharing food brings comfort to all who receive it.