about,

In Korean, the phrase asking, “Did you eat yet?” directly translates to “Did you eat rice?” I always found it funny when I said yes, and the question was usually followed up with “What did you eat?”

After I moved for university and, to the worry of my family, had to hunt my own groceries and gather simple forms of sustenance, “Did you eat rice?” was one of the first questions that would stroll out the mouths and into my calls with my mom or grandma. Asking if I ate something is a common question that pops up in my family; it was their way of making sure I was okay, asking how I was doing, and reminding me how much they cared about me.

So this question has become incredibly important as an indicator of both wellbeing and love, and it made me realize how food is a beautiful translation.

I’ve always loved hearing food bloom into different histories and sentiments. Food is one of the staple ways my family shows love (my grandma, dad, sister, are all big into cooking, and my mom and aunt often come home with bakery goods and snacks), so I like accruing the stories associated with memories of particular foods. And so, this is not a blog to find your straightforward how-to’s. Although I will attach some recipes here-and-there, this is a place to tell stories with food, and the recipes will most of the time be simple unless otherwise noted. Food is a huge part of my life, so in the way that mathematicians think in numbers, or artists in color, I think in food (kind of like how Jiro dreams of sushi!).

As for who I am? Hi, I’m Elaine Sine!

I live my life trying to understand the cultural and personal significance that food invites, and the beauty of such meanings in morsels. I went through chaos going through some health issues, and I tried solving things with an elimination diet which changed my relationship with food. Before, I didn’t care what I ate: I ate for quantity, not for quality, and I didn’t care for cooking until I was forced to scavenge for ingredients in my kitchen and turn it into something. After I went on an elimination diet, I tried shunning food and villainizing it. It wasn’t until I thankfully studied abroad in England that Europe fed me artisanal breads and bubbling fondues that I melted into a love and appreciation for food. It’s a long story, and maybe I’ll go more into depth about it later, but for now I just want to focus on the symbiotic relationship among cuisine, culture, and love that I’ve finally been able to realize.

I hope you enjoy my blog, and hopefully I can become your special foodie someone that you can learn to love, and relate to, and has earned a space in your life with her stories.