benchurchus 's review for:

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee

3.5

reflective fast-paced

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 I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee is the kind of book I’m a bit of a sucker for, mostly because of a few specific things. First, it has a recipe at the end, and the relationship between food, writing, and getting to experience someone else’s world is something I’m a huge fan of. Reading someone’s thoughts and eating their recipe feels like a deeply empathetic act.

The formatting is a little unusual, and I can see why some readers might find it lacking in direction or depth. But I really enjoyed it for one main reason, it gave me an insight into a culture I’m increasingly aware of but haven’t properly invested time in.

South Korean culture feels far more present in global soft power now than it did when I was younger. The rise of K-pop, K-dramas, fashion, beauty, food, and literature has made it feel like something I want to better understand. This book, structured around conversations between Baek Se-hee and her therapist, touches on familiar territory – self-esteem, black-and-white thinking, upbringing, relationships – and if you’ve been to therapy, you’ll recognise a lot of it.

What makes it stand out is how rooted it is in South Korean culture. There are phrases and references that are specific and compelling, like “aquarium management” for stringing along multiple partners, the disturbing case of Molar Daddy, or mentions of pieces like Kim Chan-ho’s Humiliation. All of this made me want to read more around the context, and gave me a clear sense of the author’s world, familiar in many ways to being in your thirties in the UK, but anchored in a cultural space that’s distinct and rich with meaning.

I’d definitely pick up more if I came across them. Quiet, thoughtful, and full of things to chew over, a bit like tteokbokki.