ZAUNER X “Food was how my mother expressed her love.

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Certainly! Here are some poignant quotes from Michelle Zauner's memoir, Crying in H Mart, which delve into themes of grief, identity, and the profound connection between food and memory:

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🥢 On Grief and Memory

• “Sometimes my grief feels as though I’ve been left alone in a room with no doors. Every time I remember that my mother is dead, it feels like I’m colliding with a wall that won’t give. There’s no escape, just a hard surface that I keep ramming into over and over, a reminder of the immutable reality that I will never see her again.” (movemequotes.com)

• “The memories I had stored, I could not let fester. Could not let trauma infiltrate and spread, to spoil and render them useless. They were moments to be tended.” (Goodreads)

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🍲 On Food and Cultural Identity

• “Food was how my mother expressed her love.” (Bookey)

• “Within five years, I lost both my aunt and my mother to cancer. So, when I go to H Mart, I’m not just on the hunt for cuttlefish and three bunches of scallions for a buck; I’m searching for memories. I’m collecting the evidence that the Korean half of my identity didn’t die when they did.” (movemequotes.com)

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💬 On Love and Self-Preservation

• “Some of the earliest memories I can recall are of my mother instructing me to always ‘save ten percent of yourself.’ What she meant was that, no matter how much you thought you loved someone, or thought they loved you, you never gave all of yourself. Save 10 percent, always, so there was something to fall back on.” (SuperSummary)

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If you're interested in exploring more about Michelle Zauner's work, including her music with Japanese Breakfast and her upcoming projects, feel free to ask!