Here’s my mini interview with Lucie and the photos of Korean dishes that she made. She and I were connected very closely one day in December, 2010 through Facebook. She left a comment under my doejibulgogi photo, “Omg I’m sitting in the train right now on my way home and the thought of Doejubulgogi is making me drool!!”

I replied a few seconds later because I was working on my Facebook page at the time: “Lucie, don’t miss your stop.”

Then a few minutes later, she continued the thread: “LOL maangchi, I still have quite a long way to go before I reach home!! (Commuting from NYC to Stony Brook, Long Island). I’ll just sit here and dream about your dishes! :)”

You know how much fun I had during this conversation? I laughed loudly. : )

This is what she said to me through email that made me emotional. She’s an adorable person and passionate about cooking! If her mother-in-law were alive, she would probably proud of her daughter in law!

My Korean mother in law passed away in 2001. I know her one regret was that her son’s future wife is not Korean so I wanted to be the next best thing!  My only Korean repertoire consisted of Kalbi, bulgogi, doejibulgogi and kimchee bokuum in the 14 years we’ve been together. These dishes were cooked based on my husband’s memory of his mother’s cooking and my tasting from Korean restaurants in Flushing. I know he misses his mother dearly and providing him authentic home-cooked Korean dishes would be my only way to make up for the emptiness…

My husband told me about your website on Youtube a couple of months ago and since I discovered Maangchi.com, it changed my life!! …I am so proud and can’t thank you enough for providing me the insight in Korean cooking!!

1. What is your name and where do you live?
Lucie Yang, I live on Long Island, New York.

2. What do you do and how many family members do you have?
I am a buyer in the cosmetic industry and my immediate household consists of my husband Steve, and 2 dogs: Ginger, a Labrador Retriever and Nouba, a Labradoodle Retriever.

3. How often do you cook Korean food following my recipes?
I try to cook Korean once a week but with a busy schedule (5 hour round-trip commute to work a day!) and multi cultural background, we usually alternate between Korean, Chinese and Western (Italian and French). But we love how most of your recipes are easy to make and really make it do-able to have an authentic Korean dinner!

We are so thankful for you as I do not have anyone to teach me Korean cooking (my in-laws passed away before we were married) and I know my husband really missed it.  I used to cook based on my husband’s memory of his mother’s cooking but now I have you and we can eat authentic Korean food at home again!

4. What are your favorite Korean dishes? Choose 3, please.
My favorite would be Kalbi, Soondubu and Kimchee! =)

Kimchi

Soondubu jjigae

Oisobagi (spicy stuffed cucumber kimchi)

Kimchi pancake

Seasoned fried chicken

Yukgaejang (spicy beef ans vegetable soup)

Ddeokbokkie

Kkakdugi (radish kimchi)

5. What’s your best Korean dish, the one that everybody compliments you on when you make it?

Not sure what my best Korean dish would be as I have only cooked for my husband but I’m going to say Soondubu!

2 Comments:

  1. mokpochica Michigan joined 1/09 & has 89 comments

    Everything looks delicious. I wish I could pick that shrimp out of the sundubu chigae right now and eat it up! What a good daughter-in-law you are to remember your mother-in-law’s wishes and honor her memory. I love that your husband told you about this site. What a nice hint. :)

  2. oksipak California joined 1/11 & has 72 comments

    You’re husband must be in “Korean-food heaven” now. You guys are a cute couple to boot. Maangchi brings the Korean cooking tradition back into people’s lives, I do agree with that! Nice meeting you both. The dishes look DELICIOUS! :) I’m going to have kimchee over hot rice now…you guys made me hungry again. ;)

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