Creative Writing

I almost scrolled past this essay because it sounded like another lighthearted story about summer food. Then one sentence stopped me. The writer’s father explains why he invented “M.M.B.s,” a fancy sounding name for ordinary burgers: “We tried to make it a. big deal because it wasn’t a big deal. We tried to embellish it, dress it up.”

 

I found myself reading those lines more than twice. At first, they seemed like a simple confession with slight guilt, but the more I thought about them, the more they changed the meaning of the entire narrative. I realized it wasn’t really about burgers, or perfectly snapped-in-half corn on the cob, or even watermelon. It was about the quiet ways parents make ordinary moments into memories, creating little traditions that children accept without ever questioning where they came from.

 

It made me think about something my own family called the “whatever soup.” It’s a simple yet hearty soup made from leftover kimchi that had been fermenting in the fridge, along with cabbage, Spam, and whatever vegetables we happened to have. Growing up, I never wondered about it, but I figured out that this soup caused places to feel like home as soon as we cooked it.

 

Reading this essay made me realize that behind the regular family traditions is a story waiting to be asked about.