As a Korean kid living in Westfield, New Jersey, Chris Shin celebrated the Gregorian New Year, with its countdowns and ball drops, every Jan. 1. But what he really looked forward to each winter was a different new year — Lunar New Year.
“Where we grew up, there was a much bigger Asian population than we have here in Southwest Florida, and everyone celebrated,” said Shin, now an owner of Ember Korean Steakhouse in south Fort Myers. “We’d have our own family celebrations, there’d be church celebrations, other families celebrating.”
And at all of them, there’d be food.
Lots of food.
Pan-fried zucchini known as hobak jeon. Japchae, a stir-fry of glass noodles. Tteokguk, a simple broth Shin’s family would load with nori, shredded beef, julienned eggs and coin-shaped rice cakes meant to bring prosperity. But the dish he most associates with the holiday, the one he still craves…
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