There’s nothing quite like breaking bread with family and friends, old or new. By mid-2020, we’d have all taken the opportunity to break bread with just about anyone.

Why are recipes, and the stories behind them, some of the most enduring parts of each of our cultures?

How can we be more intentional about cooking food more often, food that makes us feel good, that tastes good, that’s good for the planet, food that nourishes others, and that allows us to let our guards down for a moment, and share our joys and struggles?

One thing I never make enough time for is hosting others, and feeding others. I mean, besides my kids, who I love to feed, but they never stop feeding, and so it’s relentless, but that’s another story altogether.

Some of my favorite food to make is from my guest today Joanne Lee Molinaro, the Korean Vegan.

Joanne is a runner, an attorney, a blogger, a podcast host, and the author of the James Beard-award-winning Korean Vegan Cookbook named one of the best cookbooks of 2021.

But you may know her best as the chef and storyteller behind her wildly popular Instagram and TikTok accounts, where in just sixty seconds or so, she makes a delicious plant-based Korean dish, and at the end, when she’s done, you and millions of others are laughing, or crying or both.

Joanne infuses her food with stories about her life, and her family’s journey from what is now North Korea. Her stories are heartbreaking and compassionate, at the same time vulnerable and empowering as hell.

Because we’ve all come so far. We’ve all suffered, we’ve all felt alone, and I can tell you, sharing some spicy garlic tofu over a round table packed with friends…that’s the antidote to just about everything.

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*CORRECTION* The Indigenous author referenced at approximately 31:50 is Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer. I am a moron. You can and should buy Dr. Kimmerer's books here.

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INI Book Club:

• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links:

• Order the Korean Vegan Cookbook
• Follow the Korean Vegan on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube

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• Edited by Anthony Luciani
• Produced by Willow Beck
• Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

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