Japanese Breakfast has had a celebrated, meteoric rise on the heels of last year’s Soft Sounds From Another Planet, and project leader Michelle Zauner has been branching out to other mediums, as well. In 2016, she won an essay contest for Glamour magazine for a piece about how cooking Korean food helped her grieve after the death of her mother. And she’s just had an essay published in The New Yorker called “Crying In H Mart.” Here are the first few lines:

Ever since my mom died, I cry in H Mart. For those of you who don’t know, H Mart is a supermarket chain that specializes in Asian food. The “H” stands for han ah reum, a Korean phrase that roughly translates to “one arm full of groceries.” H Mart is where parachute kids go to get the exact brand of instant noodles that reminds them of home….

The essay is an exploration into loss and cultural heritage, what happens when you’re severed from the traditions that you once practiced, and how you can carve out your own space within. Read it in full here.

https://t.co/mvmCarpbbS my first piece in the @NewYorker 🙏 for my mother and for H Mart pic.twitter.com/rQtvxhpfNg

— Japanese Breakfast (@Jbrekkie) August 20, 2018