Michelle Lee / Daily Nexus
I joined the Daily Nexus in April 2020 — aka the peak of the pandemic and inception of Zoom University. Having been laid off from a previous on-campus job and moving back home, I had unprecedented free time and a newfound sense of loneliness that urged me to try something new. I came across that something one day while skimming through my Instagram and coming across a recruitment ad for the Daily Nexus.
I eagerly filled out the Google Form to become a writer, making the decision to join the news team. After having written a few news articles, I came to the conclusion that while I respect the craft of news reporting, it wasn’t for me. I took a brief hiatus from the Nexus until September 2020, when I came across another Nexus recruitment ad, this one specifically for On the Menu.
I was immediately intrigued, as I’ve always considered food to be an integral part of my life. Food has been and continues to be my main way of connecting with my family and, on a larger level, my Korean heritage. This has been especially crucial, as I have always felt a sense of imposter syndrome within Korean culture, growing up in America and speaking broken Korean. Without fail, the first thing my grandma always asks me (in Korean) when I visit home is, “What do you want to eat?” Eating the dishes my grandma and my mom prepare — doenjang jjigae, jeon, gaejang and more — I am able to not only feel their love but also reassure myself that I am equally Korean as I am American. To me, food is so much more than just food — food is family, love and connection.
Writing for On the Menu, I was given an outlet to further explore and share my connections to food, which I am eternally grateful for. Having served as co-editor for On the Menu, I was able to go beyond this and learn about other people’s unique experiences and connections with food. From family recipes to alternative eating reviews, every article that I had the privilege of reading, editing and publishing offered a new perspective on food that in turn enriched my own.
Above all, my time as co-editor for On the Menu has strengthened my belief that food is so much more than sustenance — it’s a bridge between cultures, an agent for change, a creative outlet, a lens into another person’s life, and the list goes on. While my time as co-editor for this amazing section has come to an end, I will carry this belief with me throughout my life and look forward to seeing what On the Menu accomplishes in the future.
