A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food

by Michelle Li

Explore the delicious world of Korean Food! This illustrated picture book introduces young readers to classic and modern Korean dishes and provides fun facts about the foods and culture of Korea. Learn how kimchi is made or discover what makes a Korean fried chicken so crispy.

A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food is written by Michelle Li, an award-winning, veteran journalist and co-founder of the Very Asian Foundation. Michelle started a global unity movement with the viral hashtag #veryasian after receiving a racist voicemail in response to her sharing on-air the Korean foods she eats. She is a vocal advocate for the Asian American community and brings this same pride and energy for her culture to her debut children’s book. Illustrated by Sunnu Rebecca Choi in mixed media, each page is a colourful exploration of a dish that is sure to make every reader hungry.

The book is the first in the Very Asian Guide series, a children’s book series that celebrates various Asian cuisines, and is published by Gloo Books, a new children’s book publishing company making books for a more inclusive, just and compassionate future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Cookbooks, Picture Books, Food

88 pages, Hardcover

First published October 22, 2022

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect introduction to Korean food for children. It explains the different food items in easy to understand terms and makes it kid-friendly while sounding tasty, particularly pointing out which foods are spicy. The illustrations are cute and will appeal to children. Recommended for children who may be reluctant to try the food or those who like a little more explanation of what's in front of them.

*Note: Very Asian is the series of books. Otherwise, it is an odd choice for a title.

I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.

[Neveen · Rating 5 out of 5]

That is a book that will make you hungry!
This book is very educational about Korean food and how to pronounce their names.
I am a fan of Korean dramas, and this book pulled me closer to my passion for Korea.
The illustrations are beautiful, and the writing is very informative and to the point.

[Magen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, informative cookbook! There were plenty of foods I recognized but didn't have a name for from watching k-dramas and other media. Very to the point, with excellent definitions and pronunciation guides.

Thank you to NetGalley and Smith Publicity for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information in a clear easy-to-understand book. I especially liked the pronunciation guide.

[Joy Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book were so damn beautiful! All the beautiful colours made me hungry. What an absolutely adorable celebration of Korean food!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this review and more on my blog, uncovered-books.

I received a free copy of A Very Asian Guide To Korean Food form the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Do you want to introduce your child to different cuisine? A Very Asian Guide To Korean Food is a great way to explain to them what Korean food is, as maybe even make them want to give some a try.

Set up in more of picture book style, with lovely simple drawings that take up majority of the page. While it does not have a lot of words (it is aimed at children), each of the staple Korean foods are explained very well. From Kimchi to Japchae, traditional Korean foods are each given a explanation of what it is, as well as some small historical information about the dish or what modern Koreans may also have with it.

Also, at the end of this book, a recipe for how to make Mandu. This is a great, easy way to give Korean food a try.

A good book for young children.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.


This one just looked too fun to pass, plus, I always love books about food either with recipes or just about the food and I always wanted to learn more about Korean food.

This was just so interesting we learn about everything from Kimchi to Japchae. I learned many new food things and I am now also very hungry. Yes, I just had lunch, but apparently my stomach is like, wait that food looks better. XD Give me this! I had so much fun flipping the pages (or well, scrolling with my mouse to get to the next page) and see what is next. Each food item gets two pages. Text scattered around it. Telling us various fun bits about that food. From how Bulogi is sometimes used in burgers and tacos. Or how Sundubu Jigae becomes spicy and red things to a spice named gochugaru. I think of all the food the Bingsu is my fav. It just sounds SO GOOD. Followed by Hotteok (though please without the nuts).

I loved that we also got the Korean pronunciation along with Korean text for each new recipe/food item/food-related thing. And even got a few Korean words that way. I would maybe have liked a bit more Korean words as in how is this word written in Korean. What is the pronunciation? Just for random words. Let me know what egg is for example. Or what veggies are called. That would just give it a bit extra flavour.

I liked the recipe at the end for Mandu. I will have to edit some foods (as I cannot eat everything) but I would like to try it. Well, if I can find a steamer. XD

While I did like the art, especially the food was splendidly done, I wasn’t too fan of the way the humans looked, especially the faces. Were those meant to be shadows? Now it just looks like they either are wearing masks or if something went wrong.

All in all though, this book? I would highly recommend it. It was so playful and fun and I learned a lot about Korean Food. And I am so hungry right now. Yum!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy provided by the author

This picture book isn't a cookbook, but rather an introduction to Korean dishes meant to introduce the different types of traditional meals. Each two page spread starts with "Very"... shareable, slippery, colorful, etc., and then explains what the food consists of, how is it prepared, and the occasions when it is served. Some of the dishes, like kimchi, have been around for hundreds of years, while others, like Korean corn dogs, utilize more modern foods and put a Korean twist on them. While most are main dishes, like bibimbap, tteobokki, or Korean Fried Chicken, there are even a couple of desserts.

The illustrations are full of bright colors and wonderful details of the food; this book made me hungry! Young readers will gain a better understanding of what Korean food is like, so if they get an opportunity to eat it, or see a classmate with one of the dishes in their lunch box, it won't seem so unusual.

There is one recipe in the back, for mandu (dumplings), but this book is more about the experience of Korean food and the ingredients that make up the delicious looking dishes. As one of the blurbs on the back states "Forget 'stinky lunchbox' moments." This is a great book for broadening the food horizons of readers whose milieu is more mac and cheese than bulgogi. I'd love to see similar books about other food traditions!

[Keshia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would love to have this book in my collection! I originally thought it was a cookbook but it is more of an informational book about Korean food for people young and old who want to learn about it. I think the images are really engaging and the information is great! They used paper "cut-outs" to make the imagery and I find that super engaging, there is also a sprinkle of Korean for friends who may be interested in learning just a little to go along with their food knowledge. It's super cute and I am sure that both children and adults alike would learn and enjoy learning from it!

Thank you to Gloo Books, Michelle Li, and Netgalley for providing this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Cydney Augspurger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really interesting and insightful read. I know this book is geared towards children, but as an adult, I'm really glad I read this book! I love all types of food, but Korean food is unfortunately not something I have a lot of access to. It was really cool to learn more about Korean food when I might not have had much of a chance to otherwise. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is curious about Korean food - especially those with kids who are curious about what their friend at school brings for lunch sometimes.

[Ali Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very fun, colorful way to learn more about Korean food. The way the book was organized was extremely easy to flip through and the illustrations brought so much character. As someone who enjoys learning about differet foods and cultures, I really enjoyed this book! I think it is great book for young readers and I particularly loved that the book noted which food were spicy and what times of year or celebrations the food could be enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gloo Books for providing a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Kushiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice kids' book to introduce them to unfamiliar foods. A lot of Asian dishes are my favorite and it's some times a struggle to enjoy them with my young kids. This was a great way to nudge my kiddos to branch out. I started off reading this to the kids, but they took over after a couple pages. Lovely illustrations and the back has a recipe for mandu I'll have to try.

8yo can read this alone without help (the pronunciation guide on each page is super helpful)

6yo needed some help especially with the names of dishes.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brilliant guide to introduce Korean food to children or even adults that don’t have any idea of what they could find to eat in Korea, and you know what, has great drawings, it is very colourful and a very short read.

In the end you are given one recipe for Michelle's Mandu recipe, and I just want to try it out ^_~

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

[sinag · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Some of the most popular Korean dishes were featured in here and I enjoyed reading about them and the details the author provided. If you want to know the popular dishes originated from Korea and have a little bit of background about them, then this is the book for you.

[Tea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book that will be very informative to anyone unfamiliar with Korean foods. Not particularly groundbreaking, and most people with even a passing familiarity with Korean cultural exports like dramas and music, will already be familiar with most of these offerings. I had hoped for more than just one recipe and maybe a little more history of the different dishes.

Cute artwork, but unremarkable content. Good basic primer for familiarizing children with some Korean foods.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always looking for books about Korea, especially ones about food. I loved how informative this book was, and the graphics were excellent. I learned a lot about various Korean dishes, and reading this book definitely made me hungry. I was a little disappointed that there was only one recipe- I was hoping there'd be recipes for each type of food that was described. Otherwise, I thought this was an excellent guide to Korean food.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mom and self proclaimed foodie, I cannot wait to add this book to my kid's book shelf.. The book describes common Korean dishes and gives interesting history and tidbits on each. dish. I enjoyed learning about the dishes that I frequently eat at Korean restaurants. My kids are younger than the intended audience, but they loved looking at the illustration. I would love it if they also print a board book edition so my little ones can read it right away.

[Dimitris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know that this is mostly a children's book, but as an adult not very familiar with Korean food, I thouroughly enjoyed it! The book is short, but even if it was longer, it would still be very easy to read. The presentation and the illustrations are gorgeous, and I love the inclusion of a recipe. All in all this book is very fun and educational and can help children (and adults) appreciate a different culture and cuisine. Thanks to NetGalley and Gloo Books for providing me witha a copy.

[Elena L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guide introduces Korean dishes, full of mouth-watering illustrations and its connection with the culture. I learned a lot about Korean food and loved the recipes at the end. The wide range and rich tastes and textures made me both inspired and hungry!

For all ages, I can't recommend it enough!

[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Gloo books . All opinions are my own ]

[Nessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC! This was such an informative book about Korean food! The illustrations and art style make the food look so enticing and made it more of a fun learning experience. I think kids would definitely be intrigued by the content and may be more willing to try new foods after reading this book. There were so many fun facts as well! I love Korean food, so it was fun to learn a bit more about it.

[Dylan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent introduction to Korean food! Michelle Li has hit the nail on the head with mixing illustration, bits of knowledge, and robust explanations for various types of food. Including the English translation, original Korean words, and pronunciations, children through adults will enjoy this linguistic and culinary primer.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fun read! I enjoyed learning more about Korean foods. The book went over the ways the different foods were served and gave some interesting facts as well. The artwork was fun and kids will probably enjoy looking at the pictures. At the end, there's even a recipe for mandu (Korean dumplings). I really want to try bingsu (shaved ice) and Korean corndogs now.

[Karen Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little informative on the Korean food to start with which was interesting to me as someone who is from America and didn’t know a lot about Korean food. About half way through I realized this book could be used by young and old. The writer made it very easy to read. Did you know Korean dramas use KFC in their programs? The recipe is very easy to follow.

[Stanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and dirty read, and I think I was expecting more than I received. This gave a brief introduction to popular Korean foods, and that is it. As an avid K-drama fan, I was expecting a detailed guide to all the foods with recipes included. I obviously missed the part about it being a children’s book, but as a children’s book, it was great! Concise and to the point.

[Georgina Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an adorable guide to Korean Food. I loved how bright and colorful it was. The descriptions of the food along with the illustrations make this an amazing introduction to Korean food for kids and kids at heart. Thank you to NetGalley and Gloo Books for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book on Korean foods, with the surge of K-pop and K-dramas during pandemic, this is a great guide on what to know about what your Korean Idols eat. We do have Korean restaurants here, including those stalls transformed into fancy little shops. This book can tell you on what to expect of your orders.

[Frederic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, rounding up for cuteness and its contribution to awareness and understanding. This is a nice introduction for kids to Korean foods, with each page-spread taking a theme and dish to present. I'd like to see more recipes, but honestly most of these dishes are not ones that a kid could easily do on their own so given the target audience it's probably appropriate.

[Lellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brother in law is Korean and he and my sister are always making Korean food for us! Kimchi is one of my favorite foods and they always make japchae for parties! This book is very informational but still child friendly and engaging. It would be great in libraries but I also feel like it's a great resource for mixed families or families in the Korean diaspora to still connect with their culture through food. The illustrations are lovely and made me text my brother in law that I wanted to try one of the soups in the book that I hadn't heard of before.

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Joni Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute! This would be a great introduction into Korean food. Make it a night. Read the book and make or order Korean food. The illustrations were adorable.