In keeping with the importance of how sharing food can remove multicultural barriers from the workplace, I would like to share another excerpt from my new book, JINSOO, Succeeding in America the Jinsoo Way.

When I ate the food of people from different cultures, I began to understand a part of their culture and felt that by sharing something so basic with them, I was a part of them. Food opened the door, but then we accepted each other and began to build a friendship.

About four years after I joined Cut Loose, my employees put on a surprise birthday party for me. I was surprised and felt so touched that they would do this! They took me to a buffet restaurant, where I had the opportunity to talk with them and learn about their families and the things they liked to do in their free time. It was great that we were all having fun and learning from each other. Here I was having fun with my employees in this unique way—through food and parties. It was just four years ago that I got fired because I wasn’t fun. Goodness, how my attitude had changed.

In some of my past threads here on Keyboard Culture, I shared with you how food can help break down a cultural barrier.

It is amazing to me how sharing food breaks down the cultural barrier walls. People start talking and laughing as they try the food. Especially if it is a new experience and they have never tried that particular food before. For one of the best cultural experiences of your life, bring your special and favorite food to work. It is always appreciated.

Today I would like to share  an excerpt from my new book, “JINSOO; Succeeding in America the Jinsoo Way” Here are some more food stories from my book.

Mario’s Salsa Breaks Down Cultural Barriers

Following my experiences in sharing food with the Vietnamese and Chinese, I also shared food with people from El Salvador and Mexico. I learned the differences between the foods from El Salvador and those from Mexico. Mexicans like hot, spicy food like Koreans. Yum…Burritos and tacos are good!

In El Salvador, they have a lot of seafood and chicken dishes, and they do not eat many spicy foods.

Mario was the most popular Mexican-American to my Asian-American employees. At first I thought it was because of his great personality. I learned later by accident it was because he made a great salsa like nobody else.

Sharing Korean Food

Kimchee is a food that is highly significant in Korean culture. There are more than 200 types of kimchee. Sometimes it is made from cabbage, cucumbers, turnips, and various vegetables. Anchovies, chili paste, garlic, and salt are included.

When I first traveled from Korea to the U.S., my mother gave me a jar full of kimchee to take with me along with the family recipe. She said, “Don’t lose your family’s spiritual roots.”

An easy lesson in learning how to be open to all cultures can be as simple as “peeling an apple.” This is a story that I have shared many times with my audiences, and I tell it in my new book, “JINSOO: Succeeding in America the Jinsoo Way.” Here’s the story:

Jinsoo’s Apple Story

When I was growing up in Korea, I was sure that there was only one way to peel an apple: That way involved starting at one end with a paring knife and peeling around and around the apple to make a spiral cutting. Ta-da! The peel is in one piece—nice and clean. For 40 years I believed this was absolutely the only way to peel the apple.

Then one day at work I was in the kitchen and saw my assistant, Amy, from Canton, China, peeling an apple. She peeled as if the apple were a carrot or potato, from the center to the edge, in many little strips of skin—not at all in a spiral manner.

Alarmed that she would hurt herself from using the knife in that way, I said, “Amy, what are you doing? Please stop before you cut yourself!”

I was the boss, so Amy stopped peeling the apple and waited for me to continue speaking.

I held out my hand for the apple and said, “Let me show you the right way to peel an apple so you don’t hurt yourself.” I then patiently began demonstrating my way of peeling the apple. After I had peeled a little, I handed the apple back to Amy so she could try.

Amy politely attempted to imitate my example, but after a moment, she cut her finger! She looked up at me and said, “Jinsoo, my way of peeling an apple is safer and better. Let me show you how to do it.”