Current:Home > StocksTradeEdge-Living with an eating disorder, a teen finds comfort in her favorite Korean food -WealthPro Academy
TradeEdge-Living with an eating disorder, a teen finds comfort in her favorite Korean food
TrendPulse View
Date:2025-04-10 09:54:01
A version of this story originally appeared on TradeEdgethe Student Podcast Challenge newsletter. Learn more about the contest here.
Grace Go's award-winning podcast starts with her favorite comfort food, budae jjigae, which she describes as "ham, sausage, spam, a packet of instant noodles all cooked in a spicy broth topped with American cheese and chopped scallions."
Budae jjigae, which means army stew in English, became popular in South Korea in the 1950s, during a time of poverty following the Korean War. "It contains traditional Korean staples such as gochujang and kimchi but with a twist of American foods," Grace explains.
Grace's podcast, which explores her complicated relationship with budae jjigae and her own body, is the winner of the Best Mental Health Podcast Prize in this year's Student Podcast Challenge. Her podcast is called Discomfort Food.
"This was the first piece that I've made where I put myself in the spotlight," says Grace, a student journalist and rising senior at Mercer Island High School outside Seattle. That vulnerability, peppered throughout her podcast, caught our judges' attention.
With the sound of her mom's budae jjigae sizzling in a metal pot, all recorded on her phone, Grace invites listeners into her Korean American family's kitchen, and into her own journey with mental health.
Food as a source of comfort – and discomfort
"Many of us who grew up in an immigrant household know that our parents especially value food," Grace explains in her podcast. "But paradoxically, another aspect of our culture contradicts this idea, and prevents many Asian Americans from having a healthy relationship with food."
In her podcast, Grace plays recordings of her family members commenting on her body, in both English and Korean. "Grace, I think you gained weight," says one person. Others tell her to stop eating, that she's getting bigger.
These passive comments took a serious toll on Grace's wellbeing. "For years, I didn't eat properly, and it got to a point where I completely cut out foods I thought were bad for me, such as my favorite, budae jjigae," she explains.
"Then finally, in November of 2021, I was diagnosed with an eating disorder."
On her road to recovery, Grace looks at where she came from
In the podcast, Grace processes her diagnosis like a journalist. She researches mental health in Asian American communities and interviews experts like Joann Kim, the family youth program manager at the Korean Community Service Center near Grace's home.
Joann helped Grace through her own healing. In the podcast, Joann explains that there's a common group mentality that's often found in Korean immigrant communities – and it's reflected in the language. So instead of saying "me," there's the Korean word woori, meaning "us." She says that can create a lot of pressure to fit in.
"And that makes us really tied to what other people think about us, and that image that we present to others," Joann says.
Grace learns to love her discomfort food
Even with Joann's help, it took over two years for Grace to feel comfortable asking her mom to make her favorite dinner, budae jjigae.
"It wasn't a craving. It was a lot deeper than that," Grace recalls. "I ate the entire pot basically all by myself, and for the first time in a really long time, it didn't really feel like I was doing something bad. I was doing something good for myself."
Grappling with body image, while trying to understand how your culture, family and language can shape your understanding of mental health – that's a lot. Grace says she's sharing her story for anyone else who's going through a similar experience.
"My hope is that more resources will be provided to my community and mental health will become less stigmatized, so that one day, others who have experienced a similar journey to mine will be able to enjoy their discomfort food and find comfort within it."
Listen to Grace's podcast here.
Visual design and development by: Elissa Nadworny, Lauren Migaki and LA Johnson
Edited by: Nicole Cohen
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
Ranking
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
Recommendation
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people