Chuseok

Oh, Dear! Oh, My! It’s been many moons, indeed, since last I graced this space. A great many things have happened, and somehow the whole year seems to have passed by in a wink. How have eight months passed since I last shared here? I promised myself not to put myself down about it, so I’ll just get on with it.

Late Summer Recap:

The corporate office people liked the way the veggies looked, but didn’t want to eat them! HAHA!

August was full of such a variety of events, I honestly am not entirely sure how I am with us today. From VegFest, to Vintage Mixer at Phipps, to a very odd experience at a corporate office, we really did it all. I couldn’t have done it without my friend, emergency helper and most dependable co-worker, Dakota. I would have been EARTHED without them.  Everyone who knows me  knows that Leo/Virgo season is basically my cue to disembody and return to Source. So thanks, Dakota, for keeping me from leaving this greying planet before my work is done.

Among the more unusual events, I had the great honor of catering the wedding of my friends! It was so wonderful and fun and I hope to get to do more events like this. It was a new experience for me, as the only other wedding food I have done with Manduhandu was a private dinner in peak lockdown.  I enjoyed feeding so many people (over 100 guests!) and seeing everyone celebrate love was really sweet.  Here are some moments from that day:

Karen looking like a total dream!!!

Anne blessing me with a smile. The buffet line did not end!!!

For our last big August event, Manduhandu was invited by ARRIVISTE Coffee Roasters to participate in a fundraising event for Casa San José, a local nonprofit dedicated to connecting, supporting, and advocating for the Latino Community. Our profits went directly to their bond fund. Thanks so much to my friend, Kati, for joining me with her artwork to help raise money. Kati and I were able to raise $1000 in contributions. Big thanks to Kim for hosting and organizing us, to Cass and Al who kept the coffee flowing, and to all the amazing people who came out to support our community.

Kati at our table at ARRIVISTE

I had honestly been feeling pretty horrible in the weeks, maybe months, leading up to this event. The ongoing corruption of our country, the stripping of civil liberty, and the crumbling of our judicial system is devastating to witness. Being a part of actionable impact was relieving. It reminded me that we cannot fix everything as it’s falling apart, but we can and must do what we are able to to support our communities in real and tangible ways. It also put into perspective the chaos of my own personal life, and how my biggest problems are really not as bad as they feel, and that I am, in fact, capable of making a difference. I’m so proud to stand by my values and grateful to have built a business that people trust to stand by them.

Futurity of the Womb: Myth of the Cyborg Kisaeng poster

On this same day, I got to see my dear friend C. Ryu perform with Mudang Jenn Kim and Kayla Tange. I had the pleasure of feeding the three of them for their stay in Pittsburgh, making different dosirak for each day of their stay. Their show, Futurity of the Womb: Myth of the Cyborg Kisaeng, was  AMAZING! It was everything I had hoped for and more. It was cathartic, primal, futuristic, and liberating. I cannot formulate the words to properly express how fantastic this show was. 

TLDR: I Cried A Lot This Summer.

Early Autumn Recap:

I really tried to make September chill as can be. With less food peddling events taking up the weekends, I was able to do some art making, family chilling, some reading/writing, and finally some teaching!

Gochugaru tasting experiment: four different gochugaru (all yummy!)

Our first kimchi workshop for the season at Workshop PGH was in mid September. Thank you for your continued interest in learning about the couple-millennia-old tradition of fermented vegetable preserves - kimchi! We sold out our first class of the season, with everyone from solo arrivals to multi-generational families. It was as wonderful as ever to meet so many people with all different levels of experience and personal reasons for interest in kimchi-making.

Our next class is scheduled for October 11th. Learn more about this class  or Register at WorkshopPGH.com

The following weekend, my mom came to visit and to table with me at the Pittsburgh Art Book Fair. Thank you so much to those of you who made it out to meet her and check out our art!

Becky Sungja Kim, Artist Extraordinaire and Sunni Park (me);
Pittsburgh Art Book Fair, 2025.

It was so nice to share my other works with you all, including four new zines. I loved having the time to talk about dreams, and do my Show-and-Tell about my current book-making projects! We were especially excited by the overwhelming support for Mama’s book, Korean Food Jang. As you probably know, I’ve been bringing this book with me to my events for a while now. We were happy to sell out of this treasured resource (more are on the way!). Thank you so much!

Sweethearts, davine and Michael with their BSK goodies!

Thanks to all the homies who came through. Mama felt so supported. She was writing down everyone’s names and associations.  So sweet!

TLDR: Mama Was Shook By Friendship.

Happy Chuseok!

Can you believe it?! Chuseok is upon us! The Mid-Autumn Festival, a celebration of good harvest, our summer's hard work paid off.

I’ll be teaching a brief kimchi workshop on Chuseok,
for Mod Monday - October 6th, from 7-8pm.
Mod Mondays is an entirely Non-Alcoholic service
with The Open Road at Two Frays Brewery .
Please check out this event page for more info.

We are also kicking-off the return of Mend & Meal at Otto Finn with Old Flame Mending’s expert mender, Wendy. Our first date back is October 16th, which is the THIRD Thursday (We will be back to Second Thursdays in November).

This is a time  to perform Jesa, our ancestral rites, and cleaning up the burial sites. Since My ancestors are buried far away, I focus on my alter - both the physical and spiritual, until I get a chance to visit my paternal grandparents in Virginia. I’ve been dreaming up ways to honor my ancestors - living and dead, and ways to honor the Diaspora, and ways to hold space for us all.  A secret special project has been coming together with an amazing friend, and I’m looking forward to sharing that with you. 

Chuseok is also a time for self reflection and realignment with Purpose. With the changing season, the changes needed within ourselves comes forward, the dying of the old and putting to rest what does not serve us.

What will you be putting to rest?

An association came up just now of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, an Oscar winning animated short from 1968 that I grew up watching.

And just like that, I’ve got to go.
Tomorrow has already begun.
Thanks for Sitting Together.