Lechon and Yoot-Nori: Windows into Filipino and Korean Cultures
by Elizabeth Hope Cho
I am half Korean, a quarter Chinese, seven thirty-secondths Filipino, and one thirty-secondth German. All my friends, however, are fully Korean. Growing up surrounded by people of one ethnicity, I, a person of mixed ethnicity who’s not even fully Asian, often feel like I don’t belong. However, being a person of mixed ethnicity has exposed me to different cultural practices, traditions, and foods that I can call my own.
My Filipino ethnicity has exposed me to a new culture through food. In 2018, I visited the Philippines for the second time. (I don’t remember the first time because I was too young.) There, I was exposed to a culture that was new to me. At a restaurant, the lights were dim and my family was eating. Suddenly, raucous music started blasting and four men in decadent traditional Filipino costumes came out of the kitchen dancing while holding a stretcher between them. On the stretcher was a whole roasted pig, called lechon. I was frightened and my baby sister, who had been sleeping, woke up, screamed, and started crying. Lechon, the traditional “party food” in the Philippines, is a big deal, which explains the whole show of bringing it out. Filipino foods are not easy to get here in America, so I hope I can one day go back to the Philippines and try them again.
My Korean ethnicity has shaped me in my respect for elders. In Korea, showing respect for elders is very important. Whenever you greet or say goodbye to an elder, you bow to show your respect for their authority. I have been raised to have this respect towards elders. Family is an important part of life. When Koreans and Chinese write their names, their last names come before their first names, symbolizing that their identity in their family comes first. The practice of putting others before oneself has been ingrained in my family.
Another way I have been exposed to Korean culture is through games. On special occasions, my church gets together to play yoot-nori, a game with four sticks and a board. When I play with my church, we do a tournament which lasts all night. It is very electrifying with lots of ear-shattering shouting–you cannot help being ecstatic. In the final round, everyone gathers around the game and chants in unison. Mo! Mo! Mo! We all–Koreans, Chinese, and everyone else–engage in the game, having fellowship together. In these moments, I feel as if the fact that I have a mixed ethnicity does not hinder my belonging. I am accepted as I am and belong in this spiritual family which I was born into and grew up in.
Not many people have the same mix of ethnicities as I do, but I am proud to say that I have been shaped by every part of who I am. Being exposed to so many different cultures has widened my view of the world and led me to examine, accept, and learn from other cultures even when they seem strange or unorthodox. It has brought me out of my cozy corner and taught me that the world is a diverse place with countless different cultures even within the same country. I hope all people can one day witness the exhilarating experience of exploring and learning from other cultures like I have.
Judges' Comments
I loved having this window in this young writer's world and reading how they experienced the multiple cultures that make up their identity. - A.K.
The author of mixed ethnicities struggles with the feeling of not being included in the people with one ethnicity but then celebrates it because it exposes him to different cultures. It enables him to broaden his understanding of his peers from a different ethnicity and accept their diversity. It will be helpful to the readers if he expands on Lechon and Yoot-Nori and what these mean for those who celebrate them. - K.K.L.
This is a beautiful essay, and I really admire and appreciate the author’s vulnerability and honesty in writing it. I love how the author took us through memories and meaningful moments from different sides of their family, and the conclusion does a great job as a “call to action” for the reader, reminding us how big and beautiful the world is, and how important it is to always be learning about each other. Wonderful work! Keep writing – you have such a wonderful storytelling voice!!! - S.T.
by Elizabeth Hope Cho
I am half Korean, a quarter Chinese, seven thirty-secondths Filipino, and one thirty-secondth German. All my friends, however, are fully Korean. Growing up surrounded by people of one ethnicity, I, a person of mixed ethnicity who’s not even fully Asian, often feel like I don’t belong. However, being a person of mixed ethnicity has exposed me to different cultural practices, traditions, and foods that I can call my own.
My Filipino ethnicity has exposed me to a new culture through food. In 2018, I visited the Philippines for the second time. (I don’t remember the first time because I was too young.) There, I was exposed to a culture that was new to me. At a restaurant, the lights were dim and my family was eating. Suddenly, raucous music started blasting and four men in decadent traditional Filipino costumes came out of the kitchen dancing while holding a stretcher between them. On the stretcher was a whole roasted pig, called lechon. I was frightened and my baby sister, who had been sleeping, woke up, screamed, and started crying. Lechon, the traditional “party food” in the Philippines, is a big deal, which explains the whole show of bringing it out. Filipino foods are not easy to get here in America, so I hope I can one day go back to the Philippines and try them again.
My Korean ethnicity has shaped me in my respect for elders. In Korea, showing respect for elders is very important. Whenever you greet or say goodbye to an elder, you bow to show your respect for their authority. I have been raised to have this respect towards elders. Family is an important part of life. When Koreans and Chinese write their names, their last names come before their first names, symbolizing that their identity in their family comes first. The practice of putting others before oneself has been ingrained in my family.
Another way I have been exposed to Korean culture is through games. On special occasions, my church gets together to play yoot-nori, a game with four sticks and a board. When I play with my church, we do a tournament which lasts all night. It is very electrifying with lots of ear-shattering shouting–you cannot help being ecstatic. In the final round, everyone gathers around the game and chants in unison. Mo! Mo! Mo! We all–Koreans, Chinese, and everyone else–engage in the game, having fellowship together. In these moments, I feel as if the fact that I have a mixed ethnicity does not hinder my belonging. I am accepted as I am and belong in this spiritual family which I was born into and grew up in.
Not many people have the same mix of ethnicities as I do, but I am proud to say that I have been shaped by every part of who I am. Being exposed to so many different cultures has widened my view of the world and led me to examine, accept, and learn from other cultures even when they seem strange or unorthodox. It has brought me out of my cozy corner and taught me that the world is a diverse place with countless different cultures even within the same country. I hope all people can one day witness the exhilarating experience of exploring and learning from other cultures like I have.
Judges' Comments
I loved having this window in this young writer's world and reading how they experienced the multiple cultures that make up their identity. - A.K.
The author of mixed ethnicities struggles with the feeling of not being included in the people with one ethnicity but then celebrates it because it exposes him to different cultures. It enables him to broaden his understanding of his peers from a different ethnicity and accept their diversity. It will be helpful to the readers if he expands on Lechon and Yoot-Nori and what these mean for those who celebrate them. - K.K.L.
This is a beautiful essay, and I really admire and appreciate the author’s vulnerability and honesty in writing it. I love how the author took us through memories and meaningful moments from different sides of their family, and the conclusion does a great job as a “call to action” for the reader, reminding us how big and beautiful the world is, and how important it is to always be learning about each other. Wonderful work! Keep writing – you have such a wonderful storytelling voice!!! - S.T.