Idea Smith’s Reviews > The Korean Book of Happiness: Joy, resilience and the art of giving > Status Update

I wonder if this book feels distasteful because I’m Indian and wince when white people fetishize yoga, basmati rice and haldi doodh but also do so in a shallow, plastic packaged way. Because that’s what this book does to Korean culture.

This chapter’s recipe is Spring Onion Pancake which sounds like a Korean version of Uthapa. This is my favorite part of reading about food (and my only reason to read this book) - that it shows hidden connections and parallels in human civilisations all over the world.

Shallow, shallow, shallow white woman about exotic Asia.

Chapter 2 felt like a very nice Karen (but still a Karen)‘s view of exotic Asia.