I remember visiting my grandma’s farm every year in Sebastopol, CA, our beloved family gathering place. The steps to her house overlook the road that my late grandpa paved, frames of each grandchild decorate the staircase, and jars of candy hide under lace tablecloth. My grandmother, Suki, plants a fruit tree for every marriage of her three daughters and for every birth of a grandchild. The fruit trees count the years: loving unions and growing up. 

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At the farm, my grandma lives a simple life, speaking sweetly to her plump persimmon and delicate perilla leaves, unknowingly gifting them carbon dioxide through her compliments. With her homegrown produce, she makes her famed kimchi by squatting beside a large clay bowl, mixing cabbage, salt, garlic, and red pepper. Humid farm air and kimchi stenches, my grandma has cultivated a 5-acre haven that I call home. 

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My passion is rooted in preserving culture, celebrating food, and honoring the women who have given me a life of greater choice. For my passion project, I would like to learn more about kimchi recipe development, to find the perfect proportions that my grandmother once did. As pieces of my grandmother fade in her condition, I hope to emulate and master her craft of kimchi making. My grandma’s farm has always been a place where people can come together and have a meal, no matter what. I hope to cultivate food and spaces that practice this same sentiment, while exploring my Korean heritage as well. I hope to continue exploring my research in feminism and Kantian contract theory in accordance with the women who have raised me. I am humbled by the care of women that have come before me and hope to instill the same spirit of belonging to those around me.