---

With the most recent Hallyu wave, Korean food has been on the rise in the US. "It's Got That Tang!" (a pun using the Korean '탕') seeks to explore the positive and negative consequences of Korean cuisine assimilating into American culture. There are several precedents to this phenomenon, for example, Chinese-American, Italian-American, and Japanese-American cuisines. And as I observed non-Koreans increasingly acknowledge Korean food, I wondered about the cost of wide-spread knowledge of a cuisine's food. When I was younger, I yearned for my non-Korean peers to enjoy some of my favorite meals without reacting with disgust or condescension. But now I see the commodification and orientalizing Korean food often goes under to be marketable to an American audience. On the other hand, Korean food has become more accessible to non-Koreans and Koreans in the US, opening up new possibilities in the development of Korean American culture.

About the Artist

Rebekah Lee is a designer and illustrator who finds joy in the act of creation and seeing others enjoy her work. Her work often incorporates humor or otherwise personal passions that are on her mind.