Cover Photo: Illustration by Shing Yin Khor for Catapult
Illustration by Shing Yin Khor for Catapult

Tteokguk for a New Year and a New Start

When I was younger, I didn’t understand the restorative, purifying effect of tteokguk. Maybe I didn’t even feel like I deserved it. This year, I welcome it.

This is , a monthly column by Noah Cho about how food and cooking can inform our identities.

is

MaybeI’m ready to cook again

Noah Cho teaches middle-school English in the San Francisco Bay Area. His writing has appeared on NPR's CodeSwitch, Shondaland, The Atlantic, and The Toast. He spends most of his free time going on hikes with and taking photos of his doggo, Porkchop.