The Sporkful

“Crying In H Mart” Helped Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner Grieve Her Mother

Mar 24, 2025

Indie musician Michelle Zauner, known for her band Japanese Breakfast, shares her heartfelt journey in recounting the loss of her mother, Chongmi, to cancer. She reflects on their complicated relationship, emphasizing how food, particularly Korean cuisine, serves as a bridge to her identity and memories. Michelle describes poignant visits to H Mart, where shopping becomes a means of both grieving and reconnecting with her roots. Through her music and memoir, she highlights the healing power of creativity during times of profound loss.

29:58

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Episode guests

Michelle Zauner

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Michelle Zauner’s complex relationship with her mother highlights the impact of cultural identity on familial bonds, emphasizing shared experiences over food.

After losing her mother, Zauner embraced cooking as a therapeutic means to reconnect with her Korean roots and process her grief.

Deep dives

The Impact of Identity on Family Dynamics

Michelle Zahner's upbringing as a Korean-American shaped her complex relationship with her identity and her mother. Growing up in a predominantly white environment, she often felt isolated and misaligned with her dual heritage, which created tension between her and her mother. Zahner’s mother frequently dismissed her feelings about being one of the few Korean girls at school, emphasizing instead that she was American. This conflicting sense of identity led to misunderstandings and a deep longing for acceptance and validation from her mother.

Intro

2min

Memories of Grief and Cultural Connection at H-Mart

2min

Nourishing Bonds: An Indie Musician's Journey

10min

Healing Through Music and Loss

4min

Nourishing Connections

9min

Culinary Comforts and Cultural Connections at H-Mart

2min

The Intersection of Grief, Food, and Music: A Personal Journey

3min

Celebrating Heritage Through Music and Memory

3min

Indie musician Michelle Zauner (leader of the band Japanese Breakfast) always had a complicated relationship with her mother, Chongmi. Michelle was born in Seoul and raised in Oregon, where she never felt like she was fully Korean or American. While it was sometimes hard for mother and daughter to understand each other, the thread that kept them together was their shared “Korean appetite,” as Michelle writes in her memoir, Crying in H Mart. Dan talks with Michelle about losing her mother to cancer before she ever had a chance to learn her mom’s recipes. In the wake of Chongmi’s death, Michelle used food — and frequent trips to H Mart — as a way to rediscover her identity, and to grieve.

This episode originally aired on April 19, 2021 and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, and Andres O’Hara. It was edited by Tracey Samuelson. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kameel Stanley, Jared O'Connell, and Giulia Leo. Publishing by Shantel Holder.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

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The Sporkful

“Crying In H Mart” Helped Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner Grieve Her Mother

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Impact of Identity on Family Dynamics

Culinary Connection and Cultural Heritage

The Reverberations of Loss

Rediscovering Identity Through Cooking

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts