Audience Guide: How To Be a Korean Woman

HOW TO BE A KOREAN WOM AN AUDIENCE GUIDE TA B L E OF CO NT E NT S

About Theater J 2 Cast and Crew of How To Be a Korean Woman 4 About the Play and Sun Mee Chomet

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Discussion: Content 6 Interview with Sun Mee 7 Discussion: Theater from Life 8 Quick Facts About Korean Adoption

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*How Did South Korean Adoption Begin?

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Discussion: How Did South Korean Adoption Begin?

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Writing Activity: Adoption, Identity, and Belonging

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¹Korean Harvest Holiday (Chuseok) 13 ²Home Recipe: Make Mayak Gimbap

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³Home Recipe: Make Japchae 17 Activity and Discussion: Where I’m Calling From

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Resources 20 Special thanks to Kim Gube, Korean adoptee and consultant for Theater J’s How To Be a Korean Woman Study Guide.

To complement your time at How To Be a Korean Woman, we suggest a visit to the Korean Cultural Center or an outreach visit from them. Information is available at washingtondc.korean-culture.org. *From Korean Adoptees in Australia ¹From the Asia Society

²From koreanbapsang.com

³From https://pupswithchopsticks.com/chewy-korean-glass-noodles-chap-chaejap-chae/

Support for educational programming at Theater J is provided by the Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation Theater for Youth Fund, the Shapiro Family Foundation, and the Share Fund.

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A BOUT T H E AT ER J Theater J is a nationally-renowned, professional theater that celebrates, explores, and struggles with the complexities and nuances of both the Jewish experience and the universal human condition.

M IS S IO N Our work illuminates and examines: ethical questions of our time, inter-cultural experiences that parallel our own, and the changing landscape of Jewish identities. As the nation’s largest and most prominent Jewish theater, we aim to preserve and expand a rich Jewish theatrical tradition and to create community and commonality through theater-going experiences.

Theater J draws audiences from all eight wards of the District, as well as Maryland and Virginia, and reflects the diverse residents of the metropolitan DC region including both Jewish and non-Jewish professionals, African-Americans, Arab-Americans, AsianAmericans, Hispanics and Latinx communities, the LGBTQ+ community, students, and senior citizens. Theater J is committed to creating partnerships that deepen our connections to our community. Through our Passports Free Ticket Program, we provide over 400 free tickets to senior citizens, clients of homeless and women’s shelters, and students throughout DC every season, reaching populations that are historically underserved by arts organizations.

Theater J has been honored with the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in an Artistic Discipline, over 70 Helen Hayes nominations, and nine Helen Hayes Awards. Notable productions include: Dan O’Brien’s The Body of an American, winner of the 2014 Horton Foote Prize for Outstanding New American Play; the world-premiere of Caleen Sinnette Jennings’ Queens Girl in the World; and Tony Kushner’s The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures.

H ISTO RY Founded in 1990 as a program of the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center (EDCJCC), Theater J has become “the nation’s most prominent Jewish theater” (American Theatre Magazine). Theater J began with a series of staged readings and productions in 1990 under the leadership of founding Artistic Director Martin Blank. Theater J’s initial home was a 50-seat black box theater at 1836 Jefferson Place, NW, the original home of the EDCJCC. In 1993, Artistic Director Randye Hoeflich took the helm, producing the first full season and preparing the theater to move to a larger, permanent home.

In 1997, the EDCJCC moved into its current space, the Irwin P. Edlavitch Building, at 1529 Sixteenth Street, NW, which housed a newly built 238-seat proscenium theater, named for Aaron and Cecile Goldman. Ari Roth was brought on as Artistic Director after the move,

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A BOUT T H E AT ER J growing the theater during his eighteen-year tenure from an annual budget of under $100,000 to a budget of well over a million and a half dollars. During that time, Theater J earned an international reputation as the nation’s premier Jewish theater. In 2005, The New York Times recognized the quality of Theater J’s new play development programs, hailing it as “the premiere theater for premieres.” Theater J also became known for producing work from and about Israel and the Middle East, with the signature Voices from a Changing Middle East Festival.

Artistic Director Adam Immerwahr joined the theater in 2015 and under his leadership, 2017 was the first year of the Yiddish Theater Lab, which aims to revitalize the great works of Yiddish theater and make them relevant to modern audiences In 2023, Hayley Finn joined Theater J as Artistic Director, with the goal of telling stories that illuminate the complexities and nuances of both the Jewish experience and the human condition through diverse perspectives and authentic visions.

Dani Stoller in Theater J’s This Much I Know by Jonathan Spector, Directed by Hayley Finn, 2024. Photo by Ryan Maxwell.

Ensemble in Theater J’s The Chameleon by Jenny Rachel Weiner, directed by Ellie Hayman, 2023. Photo by Ryan Maxwell.

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Hayley Finn, Artistic Director David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director

HOW TO BE A KOR EA N WO MA N Performed and Written by Sun Mee Chomet* Direction and Dramaturgy by Zaraawar Mistry September 12 – 22, 2024 Director Zaraawar Mistry

Production Stage Manager Anthony O. Bullock*

Scenic Designer Nephelie Andonyadis+

Assistant Stage Manager Shee Shee Jin

Lighting Designer Jesse Belsky+

Cast (in alphabetical order) Sun Mee Chomet as herself.

How To Be a Korean Woman runs approximately 85 minutes with no intermission.

The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.

*Appearing through an Agreement between this theater, Theater J, and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States +Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829

Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American actor unions. Equity’s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than 40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through its agreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employed in this production. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. For more information, visit www.actorsequity.org.

TH A N K YOU TO O UR 2024 /2025 SEASON SPONSORS L E AD I NG P RODUCER Covenant Foundation DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation Theater for Youth Fund

S PO NSO RI NG PRODUCER Cathy Bernard Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg Sari R. Hornstein The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation Nussdorf Family Foundation Patricia Payne S UP P O RTI NG PRODUCER Bruce Cohen Fund Patti and Mitchell Herman Dianne and Herb Lerner P RO DUCTI O N A NGEL Bunny Dwin

Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Revada Foundation of the Logan Family Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan Hank Schlosberg* Share Fund The Shubert Foundation Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind Helene and Robert Schlossberg Barney Shapiro and Susan Walker

This production is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Theater J gratefully ackowledges these donors who have supported Theater J since July 2023 through July 2024.

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A BOUT H OW TO BE A KO R E A N WO M A N

“When I was in 5th grade, I used to dream of doing charcoal drawings of my birth mother’s face,and I would wake up just before I could finish them.”

– Sun Mee Chomet

Sun Mee Chomet. Photo by Aaron Fenster.

How To Be a Korean Woman is a hilarious, heartfelt, and personal telling of KoreanAmerican adoptee Sun Mee Chomet‘s search for her birth family in Seoul, South Korea.

This poignant one-woman show — told from the perspective of an adult Jewish adoptee — uses text, music, and movement to explore themes of family, love, adulthood, and the universal longing to know one’s past.

A B OUT S UN ME E CH O ME T

In the US, Sun Mee has worked with The Public Theater, Lincoln Center Theater’s LCT3, Alliance Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Hartford Stage, Cincinnati Repertory Theatre, Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Kansas City Repertory, Guthrie Theater, Penumbra Theatre, Ten Thousand Things Theater, Mixed Blood Theatre, Pillsbury House Theatre, Jungle Theater, Theater Mu, Park Square Theatre, and many more. Sun Mee has performed her awardwinning one-woman show How To Be a Korean Woman at Dreamland Arts, Guthrie Theater, and Post Theater in Seoul, South Korea. Sun Mee’s recognition includes a 2022 Suzi Bass Award for Bina’s Six Apples, 2019 and 2013 Playwrights’ Center McKnight Theater Artist Fellowships, 2019 Decades Acting Awards (Minneapolis Star Tribune & City Pages for Vietgone and Two Mile Hollow), 2015 Lucille Lortel nomination (brownsville song), 2013 TCG Fox Fellowship, Star Tribune’s ‘Best of’ lists for The Origin(s) Project (2012) and Asiamnesia (2007); “2012 Best Solo Performance” honors for her play, How To Be a Korean Woman (Lavender Magazine). She would like to thank Hayley Finn and the entire staff of Theater J for the encore invitation, thus expanding the understanding of the complexity and diversity of the Jewish diaspora. She would also like to thank the incredible KAD, adoptee, and BIPOC communities in D.C. for helping to spread the word.

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DISCUSSI ON : CON T E N T Why do you think that Sun Mee chose to go to Korea to try to find her birth family?

In the show, Sun Mee brings up many questions about trying to figure out her identity. How do you define your own identity?

Sun Mee will tell you this in the show – but when she got to Korea, at first she couldn’t find any information about her birth mother. She was invited to be featured on a news station that was likened to “Missing Children” ads that used to be on milk cartons in America with the hotline 1-800-THE-LOST. Having no luck, she then appeared on a different popular Korean TV show in which participants who are looking for lost relatives talk are interviewed about themselves in hopes that someone who recognizes their story may be watching.

Have you ever seen one of these milk cartons?

What do you think it was like for Sun Mee to go on that show?

How would you feel about going on TV and telling your own story?

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INTERVI EW WI T H S U N M E E C H O M E T What were your first performing arts experiences?

My parents are both musicians, so they took me to see classical orchestra concerts growing up. Also, my dad loves musicals, so he took me to see The Wiz and Annie when I was in elementary school.

We were on a tight budget, so we would sit in cheap seats in the 3rd balcony, basically looking straight down at the stage from above. But, I didn't care. I remember watching the actors and thinking, "You can do this for a living? This is their JOB? They get paid to dance and sing and have fun traveling around the country?" I was sold.

Did you always know you wanted to be an actor? How did you decide?

No, I didn't always know I wanted to be an actor. I first wanted to be a gymnast because I was so inspired watching the Olympics. I also wanted to be a pianist. But, in the fifth grade, I broke my arm and I couldn't do either. So, I auditioned for the school play. It was Cinderella and I wanted to play one of the stepsisters. (I wanted to draw a mole on my face. ) I got cast and it was so much fun! I got to hang out with my friends outside of class and we all got to dress up in funny costumes. Most importantly, I remember saying one of my lines during a performance and the audience burst out in laughter. It was a magical feeling. Unlike playing piano or gymnastics, if I messed up in a play, I could improvise my way out of it and the audience wouldn’t know. It was very liberating. Also, on stage was the first time I wasn't teased or asked why I spoke English so well. As an Asian American, I felt seen and heard in a way that I didn't in real life. And I loved it.

🙂

When you were growing up, what was it like to be a Korean American kid in Detroit? Did you know other Korean Americans?

It was hard. I was the only Asian American person at my school in Detroit. However, it was different than a lot of Korean adoptee experiences in that my entire school was predominantly African American. My brothers were among the few white kids at the school. In many ways, attending public schools in Detroit was a great experience because I grew up learning about the Civil Rights Movement, gathering in the halls to sing Stevie Wonder's version of “Happy Birthday” on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, and learning “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in choir class. However, growing up in a Black community didn't protect me from being teased. I was still made fun of for being Asian American almost every day of elementary school. It was traumatic, especially because I knew, even at that young age, that Black kids hated racial slurs against them, so why were they using them against me? It didn't make any sense to my young mind. I transferred schools a lot because of the teasing and finally was accepted at a public international elementary school in downtown Detroit that catered towards new immigrants and where seventeen different languages were spoken. It was at Burton International Elementary School that I met other Korean adoptees for the first time and I thrived there, auditioning for my first school play.

What inspired you to create and perform How To Be a Korean Woman? What do you hope people take from it?

I didn't know who I was anymore after I searched for my Korean birth family. I wrote the play because it was how I was able to find my way out of the confusion. So, initially I wrote it in a search for wholeness. I told my director that I couldn't perform the piece without getting emotional. He said, "Great. Then get emotional, but keep performing the play. It's a story that needs to be told."

There are so many adoptees that are wrestling with complex feelings. So, I perform the play to help myself heal and because I know so many others in the world are navigating the same feelings.

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DISCUSSI ON : T H E AT E R F RO M L I F E

“I spent so much time asking myself: Who am I? Where do I come from?”

– Sun Mee Chomet

How is seeing a true story different from seeing a fictional story?

Can you think of a TV show or movie you’ve seen that’s based on a true story?

This play is particularly unusual because Sun Mee is playing herself and all the other characters. What do you think would be fun about that? Challenging?

What do you expect from the play?

What are some questions you might like to ask Sun Mee after the show?

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QU ICK FAC T S AB OU T KO R E A N A D O P T I O N

Bukchon Hanok Village (Historic District in Seoul)

Korea was the first country that ever agreed to trans-national adoption. This happened almost immediately after the Korean War and was related to the number of mixed-race babies that were born to American soldiers and Korean women at that time.

Of the 200,000 adoptions that have taken place over the last seventy years, 75% of the adopted children – or 150,000 - have been adopted to American families.

In the media of the 1950’s through the 1970’s, the Korean babies were presented as orphans. But many of them were not orphans: their birth mothers were persuaded to give them up to adoption agencies.

Today, there are more than 15,000 Korean adoptees in Minnesota - more than in the entire country of France.

In 1955, Korea was considered to be a developing country. It is now considered to be a highly developed country.

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H OW DI D SO U T H KO R E A N A D O P T I O N B E G I N ?

Excerpted from Korean Adoptees in Australia https://www.kaian.org.au

T H E KOR EA N WAR

The adoption of children from South Korea has continued since the end of the Korean War in 1953. In 1955, an American couple, Harry and Bertha Holt were so moved by the plight of orphans from the Korean War that they adopted eight children from South Korea and brought them home to live with them in Oregon. This received national press coverage, sparking interest in adopting Korean children among Americans nationwide.

As a result, Harry and Bertha Holt created what has become the largest agency in the U.S. specialising in Korean children – Holt International Children’s Services.

Initially, most of the internationally adopted children were mixed-race from American (and other United Nations) military fathers and Korean women...

Today, more than 200,000 South Korean children have been adopted overseas.

RET UR N IN G ADO PT E E S

Roughly 3,000-5,000 adult Korean adoptees return to Korea each year and there are an estimated 200 living in Korea for extended periods of time. According to Eleana Kim (author of Adopted Territory, not an adoptee) while adoptees often desire to ‘fit in’ and suppress racial differences in their adoptive countries, they often face discrimination or rejection in Korea due to their Korean appearance but lack of Korean language skills and cultural knowledge.

In the past decades, Korean adult adoptees have developed a unique international community, spearheaded by organisations such as GOA’L (Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link, created by and for adult adoptees in Seoul), and IKAA (International Korean Adoptees’ Associations), which holds annual ‘Gatherings’ around the world.

KAIAN (Korean Adoptees in Australia Network) was founded in 2014 to serve the Australian Korean adoptee community, the youngest member of the family of international Korean adoptee organisations.

Harry and Bertha Holt, their eight adopted children, and a Korean nurse.

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H OW DI D SO U T H KO R E A N A D O P T I O N B E G I N ?

DISCUSSI ON Adoption is a complex subject. International adoption, transracial adoption, and international/transracial adoption are even more complex. The experiences of adopted children are all deeply personal and unique to those individuals and their circumstances.

Sun Mee’s play raises profound questions about the impact that adoption has on everyone involved.

1. What is the difference between international and transracial adoption?

What is international/transracial adoption?

2. How and why did international/transracial adoption begin in South Korea?

What were the different elements involved?

3. What does family mean to you?

4. What do you think are some of the struggles unique to international and transracial - usually BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color) adoptees?

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A DOP TIO N , I DE N T I T Y, A N D B E LO N G I N G : WRITING AC T I V I T Y One in every twenty-five families in America has an adopted person within it: more than 115,000 children are adopted a year. Today, 95% of American adoptions are “open,” meaning that the birth parent(s) and the adoptive parent(s) have some form of contact, and the birth parent(s) may agree that their information may become available to their birth child when they turn 18 or 21. However, the records are sealed when the adoption is completed, and in most states, the adoptees themselves may learn non-identifying information about their birth (such as place of birth, existence of biological siblings but not their names, parents’ ethnicity and occupations), but cannot access their actual birth records without a court order. For transracial and international adoptees, finding their birth parents may be exceptionally difficult or impossible.

1. Many people are adopted, but not every adopted child is a different ethnicity than their birth family: in fact, many children who are the same ethnicity as their parents never know that they’re adopted. Do you think their experiences are different?

2. What does “identity” mean to you? What are the different elements of your own identity? Which parts of your identity are related to other people? Are there parts of your identity that are yours alone? How much of your identity has to do with your family and its history? With where you were born? The place you live?

3. What situations have you been in in which you’re part of the majority through your appearance or in some other way? Part of the minority? For example, have you ever been in a room in which you are the only person of your ethnicity, or where most of the other people there are speaking a language different than your own?

4. When do you most have a sense of belonging? When do you not have a sense of belonging?

5. In your opinion, what do all children most need in order to grow and thrive?

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AC TI V I TY: LE AR N AB O U T KO REA N H A RVEST H O LI DAY (C HU S EOK) FROM THE ASIA SOCIETY

Chuseok, also known as Korean Harvest Holiday, is one of the most important and festive holidays of the year. This year, Chuseok falls on Thursday, September 19th, but the holiday period actually lasts for three days in total – including the day before and after Chuseok.

Traditionally, Koreans return to their ancestral hometowns to celebrate with their families, causing one of the biggest traffic jams of the year as people often take to the road to reach the provinces outside of Seoul.

A T IM E FO R FAM I LY

The origins of Chuseok can be traced back to Korea’s past as an agrarian society. Chuseok is also known as Hangawi, which means the 15th day of August, according to the lunar calendar. On this day, a full harvest moon appeared in the sky and families gathered to enjoy time together and give thanks to their ancestors for the plentiful harvest. The women of the family also prepared an ancestral memorial ceremony called charye by filling a table with food including newly harvested rice and fruit.

Koreans celebrate Chuseok by making special foods, particularly a certain kind of rice cake called songpyeon. Songpyeon is made with finely ground new rice and the dough is kneaded into small round shapes and filled with sesame seeds, chestnuts, red beans, or other similar ingredients. The rice cakes are arranged upon layers of pine needles as they are steamed, filling the home with the delicate and fresh fragrance of autumn. On the eve of Chuseok, family members gather to make songpyeon together, illustrating the importance of family in Korean society.

WATCH FO R T H E MO M ENT WHEN SU N MEE MAKES SONGPYEON D URI NG H OW TO BE A KOREAN WOMAN

A plate full of songpyeon, the representative Chuseok food. Joe McPherson/ZenKimchi.

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CLA SSROOM O R G RO UP R E C I P E : MA KE M AYAK G I MB AP !

Mayak gimbap is NOT a Chuseok dish - but it is easy to make, fun to assemble, and a crowd-pleaser. You can easily make it at home or prepare the ingredients in advance and assemble it as a classroom activity!

M IN I GIM B AP (M AYA K G I M BAP )

By Hyosun

https://www.koreanbapsang.com/about/

Mini gimbap (Korean seaweed rice rolls) with a mustard and sesame sauce.

INGRED IENTS • Makes 16 pieces • 1-1/2 cups uncooked short grain rice standard measuring cup (not the cup that comes with a rice cooker) • 2 teaspoons sesame oil • salt to taste start with ⅓ teaspoon • 1 small bunch spinach about 6 ounces • 1 teaspoon sesame oil • salt to taste – about 1/4 teaspoon • 1 large carrot julienned • 4 yellow pickled radish danmuji strips, pre-cut for gimbap • 4 gim aka nori aka seaweed sheets S AU C E • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds finely ground in a spice grinder or mortar bowl • 1 tablespoon vinegar • 1 teaspoon soy sauce • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard or Korean hot mustard, gyeoja • ⅛ teaspoon salt • 2 teaspoons sugar

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CLA SSROOM O R G RO UP R E C I P E : MA KE M AYAK G I MB AP !

M AYA K G IMBAP I N ST RUC T I O NS Cook the rice using a little less water than usual. (Fresh cooked rice is best for gimbap.)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and prepare an ice bath. Blanch the spinach, place immediately in the ice bath, then squeeze the water out.

Run a knife through the squeezed spinach a couple of times. Season with the sesame oil and salt.

2. Julienne the carrots. Heat a lightly oiled pan over medium high heat. Stir fry the carrots until slightly softened. Lightly season with a pinch of salt.

3. Cut the pickled radish crosswise in half, and then cut lengthwise in half.

4. When all the ingredients are ready, remove the rice from the rice cooker. While the rice is still hot, add the sesame oil and salt. Mix well by lightly folding with a rice paddle or spoon until evenly seasoned.

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CLA SSROOM O R G RO UP R E C I P E : MA KE M AYAK G I MB AP !

M AYA K G IMBAP I N ST RUC T I O NS CONTINU ED 6. Cut 4 sheets of gim into quarters.

7. Put a quarter sheet of gim, shiny side down and shorter side toward you, on a cutting board. Spread 1 tablespoon to 1-1/2 tablespoons of rice evenly over the gim, leaving a little bit of space on the side away from you. Do this with your fingers. Keep a wet towel and wipe your fingers frequently to keep the rice from sticking to your fingers.

Lay the prepared ingredients on top of the rice, closer towards you.

8. Lift the entire bottom edge with both hands and roll over the filling away from you, tucking in the filling with your fingers.

9. Rub or brush the roll with a little bit of sesame oil for extra flavor and a shiny look.

FO R T H E S AU CE

Finely grind the sesame seeds in a spice grinder or mortar bowl. Mix with the remaining sauce ingredients. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved and the ground sesame seeds are evenly distributed.

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H OM E R E C I PE : MAKE JA P C H A E !

EA SY JA P CH AE RE CI P E

(Korean Glass Noodles Stir Fry)

By Joyce Lee

An easy japchae recipe (Korean glass noodles stir fry) seasoned lightly with sweet soy sauce, sesame oil, and a variety of vegetables and perfectly chewy bouncy glass noodle texture without boiling the noodles in water.

I N G R ED IENT S • 400 g sweet potato noodles JA P C H A E S AUCE • ½ cup hot water • ¼ cup sugar • ½ cup soy sauce • 2 tablespoons sesame oil V EG E TA B L ES • 1-2 carrots (cut into matchstick slivers, approximately 1 ½ cups) • 1 bundle spinach (approximately 1 cup after it has been cooked and wilted) • 1-2 peppers (sliced into thin strips, approximately 1 ½ cups) • 1 onion (medium-sized, approx 1 cup) TO P P IN GS & G ARNI SH E S • 2 stalks green onion (finely chopped) • toasted sesame seeds

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H OM E R E C I PE : MAKE JA P C H A E !

E ASY JA P C HA E I N ST RUC T I O NS Prepare the Sweet Potato Glass Noodles and Vegetables

1. In a large bowl, add warm to hot tap water and soak the noodles in it for 20 mins.

Prepare the vegetables while you are waiting for the noodles to soak.

2. Peel the carrots and cut them into thin matchstick sizes. Set aside.

3. Slice the onions and peppers. Set aside

4. Boil the spinach for 2 mins. Once it is done, run it under cold water to stop the cooking process and squeeze and squeeze all the water out. The texture should be dry and not soggy. Season it with salt and set it aside.

5. Alternatively, you can also skip boiling the spinach and put it directly in with the rest of the vegetables to save some time.

6. Toast sesame seeds in a frying pan on low heat until brown. Set aside.

7. Finely chop the green onions and set them aside for the end.

8. After 20 mins, when the noodles are soft and pliable, drain the water out and cut them roughly 4 inches in length. Set it aside for later.

Make the Japchae Sauce

9. In a small bowl, dissolve ¼ cup sugar with ½ cup hot water.

10. Then add in ½ cup soy sauce and 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Set it aside.

Cook the Japchae

11. In a large non-stick frying pan, add oil and set the heat to medium.

12. Once the oil has warmed up, add in the veggies (except the green onions) and cook them for approximately 3-5 mins or until the vegetables are soft. Remove them from the pan into a dish and set it aside.

13. Add the noodles to the pan and half the soy sauce mixture and cook for about 2-3 mins. Keep flipping the noodles, until they are transparent and glossy and no longer translucent.

14. When the noodles are almost done, add the vegetables back in and add in the remainder of the soy sauce mixture and cook for another 1-2 mins.

15. Turn off the heat and add in the green onions and sesame seeds and mix well. (It's might be easier to mix it with your hands) Enjoy!

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AC TIVITY: WH E R E I ’M C A L L I N G F RO M “My friend’s son recently said, “Find your purpose, find your people.”

And that’s how you find what your own life path is going to be.”

– Sun Mee Chomet

In this study guide, we’ve explored the history of Korean adoptees, gotten a quick glimpse into Korean culture, and learned about Sun Mee Chomet, the creator and performer of HOW TO BE A KOREAN WOMAN.

If you were asked to describe your own culture to someone who had never experienced it, what would you say? What are the important foods?

Describe your family/community gatherings. What’s the most important holiday? How do you celebrate?

Sun Mee talks in her play about her Korean relatives criticizing her appearance, insisting on taking her shopping, and telling her to fix her hair, do her nails, and wear make-up and high heels. What are some spoken or unspoken social rules/ expectations that exist in your own family/ culture?

If you were going to tell part of your own story on stage, what part of your life would you choose? How might you present it (music, dance, poetry, TV series, movie, play?) What might you call it?

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RESOURC ES B OO KS

Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption

Contributors: Heidi Lynn Adelsman; Ellen M. Barry; Laura Briggs, U of Massachusetts, Amherst; Catherine Ceniza Choy, U of California, Berkeley; Gregory Paul Choy, U of California, Berkeley; Rachel Quy Collier; J. A. Dare; Kim Diehl; Kimberly R. Fardy; Laura Gannarelli; Shannon Gibney; Mark Hagland; Perlita Harris; Tobias Hübinette, Stockholm U; Jae Ran Kim; Anh Đào Kolbe; Mihee-Nathalie Lemoine; Beth Kyong Lo; Ron M.; Patrick McDermott, Salem State College, Massachusetts; Tracey Moffatt; Ami Inja Nafzger (aka Jin Inja); Kim Park Nelson; John Raible; Dorothy Roberts, Northwestern U; Raquel Evita Saraswati; Kirsten Hoo-Mi Sloth; Soo Na; Shandra Spears; Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark; Kekek Jason Todd Stark; Sunny Jo; Sandra White Hawk; Indigo Williams Willing; Bryan Thao Worra; Jeni C. Wright.

What White Parents Should Know About Transracial Adoption: An Adoptee's Perspective on Its History, Nuances, And Practices

By Melissa Guida-Richards D O C U M EN TA RY (BO RROW FRO M K ANOPY)

Geographies of Kinship- The Korean Adoption Story Directed by Leann Borsay Liem

Trailer: https://www.mufilms.org/films/geographies-of-kinship-korean-adoption-story/ W EB S IT E S

Korean Adoptee Resource Hub https://kadresourcehub.com/ Korean Focus https://www.koreanfocus.org/byandforkads.html Adopted Korean Connection http://www.akconnection.com/ Adoptee Solidarity Korea https://kumfa.or.kr/adoptee-organizations/ Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington https://aaawashington.org/ Association of Korean Adoptees San Francisco http://www.aka-sf.org/ Boston Korean Adoptees https://www.bkadoptee.org/ G.O.A'L https://goal.or.kr/ IBYANG.com International Korean Adoptee Associations https://www.ikaa.org/ Korean Adoptees (Australia) https://www.kaian.org.au/ Korean @doptees Worldwide (Facebook) Korean Adoptee Search Yahoo Group Korean Adoptees Worldwide Yahoo Group University of Oregon Adoption History Project https://pages.uoregon.edu/adoption/

HOW TO BE A KOREA N WOMA N AU DI EN C E GU I DE

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