LAFeature
Streaming on:A24 Virtual Screenings
To be honest, I kind of didn’t want to pair Minari with a Korean restaurant. A heart-wrenching film about the Korean-American experience paired with the food of that exact same culture? It all felt a bit too on-the-nose, like the time I dressed up as Eggslut for Halloween and literally just wore a children’s egg costume with stiletto heels. But when it comes to a movie like Minari – a tender, modest film that so deeply explores what it means to be Korean-American in this country - I felt like I would be letting down Steven Yeun himself by not choosing one of LA’s excellent Korean restaurants. So before you sit down and witness the Yi family struggle to start a farm in rural Arkansas in the 1980s, follow the all-American pursuit of happiness, and watch Yuh-Jung Youn give the performance of her life - place an order at Jeon Ju. Much like Lee Isaac Chung’s film, nothing about the bowls of bibimbap here are flashy or heavy-handed – they’re all relatively simple and straightforward. Packed with short ribs, extra-crispy rice bits, plus a medley of pickled vegetables, this is the perfect meal for a night in front of the TV - which will undoubtedly end with you googling “cute pics of Alan Kim.”
photo credit: Jakob Layman
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