Growing up, the only restaurants I saw in my small town were a Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Burger King, and a Chinese restaurant. And I only saw them from the car’s window as we passed by. My mom cooked all of our meals except for the rare pizza or occasional stop at Taco Bell for 7-Layer Burritos when we were on a road trip.
Thankfully, my mom is an excellent cook! Looking back, I was quite spoiled to get home-cooked, vegetarian meals made fresh every day.
That said, my palette was pretty limited to German and Russian recipes. I had zero tolerance for heat and didn’t taste chicken until I was in 7th grade.
After college, I moved to South Korea for a year and gradually dismantled the psychological block I’d developed against eating meat. It took about six months before I was completely addicted to kimchi, bibimbap, japchae, and bulgogi. I traveled and sampled more cuisines, falling in love with a diverse rainbow of ingredients and flavors. As well as Korean, I love Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Italian, and Mexican food. My mother’s German and Russian recipes are, of course, my go-to for nostalgic comfort food. I’m hoping to use inspiration from all these cuisines as I create liquid and soft meals for me to eat.
By the way, according to Parade.com, Taco Bell is bringing back the 7-Layer Burrito on September 9, 2025! It’s basically 7-layer dip in a flour tortilla. Perfection at $2.49. #notsponsored, but you should definitely try it while it’s available.
Next time, I think it’s finally time for a recipe!
