Coming Home Again: Critical Analysis

How Kalbi Brought Him Back

In the essay Coming Home Again by Chang-Rae Lee, the author tells of his deep connection with his mother through food. Through Lee’s eyes, his mother is a woman whom he deeply loves and respects. She is very involved in his life. As close as she is involved in his life, the author implies that he and his mother are never particularly on the same level. Lee’s mother wants to give him an edge in life as an American by sending him to a boarding school in New Hampshire. In doing this however, Lee’s mother sacrifices the relationship she has with the author. The author, who is oblivious to his mother’s feelings at the time when he was away at Exeter, reevaluates at the end of the essay whether becoming successful in an American society is worth the time lost between his mother and his Korean culture. Through native Korean foods, such as “Kimchi”, and the simple preparation of the recipe “Kalbi,” the author feels as if he can truly re...