English 101
1 August 2025
The Fragility of a Mixed Ethnic Background: An Analysis of Family, Identity and Ethnic Grief
In the United States, 10.2% of the population identifies as multiracial (Census Bureau). But
being multiracial brings a few problems for the individual, one being a pull towards all connected
cultural backgrounds. Someone could feel disconnected from one culture, not knowing where they
belong on the racial scale. Or, if one parent is not present in the person’s life, they could feel
absent from the parent’s represented background all together. Michelle Zauner, author of “Crying
in H Mart” probes into the topic of background grief. Zauner illustrates the desperate search for
connection towards her late mother’s culture. As a mixed Filipino-Caucasian-American, I find
myself searching for a ethnic identity to hold onto everyday.
In her essay “Crying in H Mart”, Michelle Zauner writes about her grief. Grief to have lost
her Korean mother and aunt, but also grief for the Korean part of her– specifically what she felt
wasn’t there before, and it is harder to find now without her family members. The story is about
Zauner searching and finding a part of herself after she lost her mother and aunt within their shared
, communities and cuisine. She grieves her connection; connection with her maternal figures and her
Korean heritage.
In “Crying in H-Mart”, Zauner admits that she never truly spoke Korean, comparing her
skills to that of an elementary student. But being in Korean grocery stores makes her “feel like
(she’s) fluent”. She illustrates her comfort foods shared with her mother growing up. Their
tradition of jajangmyeon feasting when they’d visit Seoul. Now, she eats this dish alone in H-Mart.
Zauner describes the people around her, wondering what brings them to H-Mart, asking “Which
ones weren’t able to fly back home this year…Which ones are like me, missing the people that are
gone from their lives forever?” (Zauner, 520) Finally, Zauner concludes that, “But I know we are
all here for the same reason. We’re all searching for a piece of home, or a piece of ourselves.”
(Zauner 521). She searches for some sort of connection with the fellow shoppers in the store. And
she finds this conclusion when realizing the majority of these shoppers were like her,
Asian-American. That everyone there was for the taste of “home” found only in Asian
supermarkets.
The reason that H-Mart and other Asian-branded/populated environments are so attractive
for Asian-American people in America is that it brings them a sense of home. It’s an escape from
Western culture, it presents foods, languages and people that they recognize. I find myself proudly
pronouncing, understanding and even conversing Tagalog words in Seafood City, my local
English 101
1 August 2025
The Fragility of a Mixed Ethnic Background: An Analysis of Family, Identity and Ethnic Grief
In the United States, 10.2% of the population identifies as multiracial (Census Bureau). But
being multiracial brings a few problems for the individual, one being a pull towards all connected
cultural backgrounds. Someone could feel disconnected from one culture, not knowing where they
belong on the racial scale. Or, if one parent is not present in the person’s life, they could feel
absent from the parent’s represented background all together. Michelle Zauner, author of “Crying
in H Mart” probes into the topic of background grief. Zauner illustrates the desperate search for
connection towards her late mother’s culture. As a mixed Filipino-Caucasian-American, I find
myself searching for a ethnic identity to hold onto everyday.
In her essay “Crying in H Mart”, Michelle Zauner writes about her grief. Grief to have lost
her Korean mother and aunt, but also grief for the Korean part of her– specifically what she felt
wasn’t there before, and it is harder to find now without her family members. The story is about
Zauner searching and finding a part of herself after she lost her mother and aunt within their shared
, communities and cuisine. She grieves her connection; connection with her maternal figures and her
Korean heritage.
In “Crying in H-Mart”, Zauner admits that she never truly spoke Korean, comparing her
skills to that of an elementary student. But being in Korean grocery stores makes her “feel like
(she’s) fluent”. She illustrates her comfort foods shared with her mother growing up. Their
tradition of jajangmyeon feasting when they’d visit Seoul. Now, she eats this dish alone in H-Mart.
Zauner describes the people around her, wondering what brings them to H-Mart, asking “Which
ones weren’t able to fly back home this year…Which ones are like me, missing the people that are
gone from their lives forever?” (Zauner, 520) Finally, Zauner concludes that, “But I know we are
all here for the same reason. We’re all searching for a piece of home, or a piece of ourselves.”
(Zauner 521). She searches for some sort of connection with the fellow shoppers in the store. And
she finds this conclusion when realizing the majority of these shoppers were like her,
Asian-American. That everyone there was for the taste of “home” found only in Asian
supermarkets.
The reason that H-Mart and other Asian-branded/populated environments are so attractive
for Asian-American people in America is that it brings them a sense of home. It’s an escape from
Western culture, it presents foods, languages and people that they recognize. I find myself proudly
pronouncing, understanding and even conversing Tagalog words in Seafood City, my local
