Crying in H Mart

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is comfort food? Can you give examples? What dishes are likely among people’s top five comfort meals in the region where you live? Why do you think that people find those foods to be comforting?

Teaching Suggestion: Thinking about comfort food can help students start to consider the theme of Food’s Relationship to Cultural and Family Identity and the importance that Zauner gives to Korean food and its connections to her mother. Consider accessing or sharing these or similar resources with students to help inform and discuss this topic.

• “Why Comfort Food Comforts” is an Atlantic article that discusses a 2015 study about the social function of comfort food. (Subscription may be needed for viewing.)
• April White’s article “A Brief History of Comfort Food” from JSTOR explains the history of the term “comfort food” (first attributed to Liza Minnelli in 1970) and explores past and present comfort foods.

2. Why would an author choose to write a memoir rather than an autobiography? What is the difference between these two genres? How does a reader’s approach to the text differ between a memoir and an autobiography? What are some examples of a memoir?

Teaching Suggestion: If this is students’ first time considering the difference between these genres, these questions can be prefaced with a short discussion or reflection activity in which students consider the two genres separately.

• “Memoir,” from the University of California, Berkeley, provides an overview of the genre and its conventions.
• SuperSummary provides students with an extensive overview of the autobiography and memoir genres, including their elements, histories, and functions.
• BookRiot published a list of “The 20 Most Influential Memoirs of All Time,” which includes several titles that students may recognize.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Food carries deep meaning in the story you are about to read. Think of a meaningful food memory you have. It could be a memory of a specific meal experience, a favorite dish, or a time spent preparing food. How would you describe this memory in a vivid way? Why does this memory carry so much meaning for you? Why do you think food, in general, is such an important part of culture?

Teaching Suggestion: In Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner incorporates her memories of trying new foods, learning new recipes, and the ways in which food makes her feel connected to her mother. Emphasizing the importance of food to one’s culture can help to complement this. Students might spend some time brainstorming possibilities for this prompt before selecting a choice.

Differentiation Suggestion: Teachers could encourage visual learners to create an image of their food memory in place of, or to accompany, a written response. Encourage them to think creatively about how they can infuse their image with the meaning of the food beyond the literal.