Bloated waist

On a wildly rocking cruise, in the midst of chaos from seasickness, I met Linda, an older Korean woman with a foreign husband. Among all the people I had met during my travels, they were the couple I connected with the most. Normally, my husband isn't thrilled about meeting Koreans and avoids socializing with them. But this time was different. Perhaps the relentless waves had knocked something loose in his head? Or maybe he was just weary from the long sea voyage? Whatever the reason, he didn’t decline their invitation to dine together every evening.

On cruises, the Korean women I occasionally encounter usually have foreign husbands. These are women who have been through all sorts of trials and emerged stronger. They empathize with and encourage each other and they know how to turn it over with laughter.

‘People without a sense of humor are like carriages without springs. Every pebble they encounter on the road makes them creak.’ As Henry Ward Beecher said. The older I get, the more attracted I am to those who can make me laugh.

The more time I spent with Linda and her husband, the more I wanted to be around them. I found myself wandering in the ship looking for her. She was amazed at how good she was at making jokes. Her expressions and gestures during conversations were like those of a natural-born actress. Even my usually reserved husband couldn’t help but burst into laughter around her. She was knowledgeable and straightforward, as if she saw no reason to lie for anyone.

I’d heard that Koreans who spend a long time on a cruise struggle with not being able to eat Korean food. My husband and I, having endured tough times during our early immigrant days when we ate whatever was available, didn’t particularly miss Korean food.

“Is it because you’re from Itaewon? You get along with foreigners and don’t crave Korean food,” my husband said, suggesting that my background made a difference. But I think I’m just a fusion human.

Interestingly, despite living with an American her whole life, Linda craved Korean food. Even with the abundance of delicacies like lobster, sushi, and sashimi available, she would make something similar to kimchi using vegetables. The cruise buffet had all kinds of seasonings, and they would provide anything upon request. The food she concocted was quite tasty.

“Linda’s practically opened a restaurant in our cabin,” her husband chimed in, watching her make something resembling Korean food. He liked picking out the potatoes, zucchini, and tofu in the doenjang-jjigae. It seems that Koreans living with foreigners tend to yearn for their homeland and Korean food even more as they age. Just like how I eat potatoes at every meal in the buffet because they remind me of the tough times when they were my main food.

I got off the cruise with a bloated waist. Will my waist ever return to its pre-cruise state? I enjoy cruising, but the thought of gaining belly fat makes me hesitant to board again.