From Sonmat to Honbap: Negotiating Identity and Spirituality at the Korean Kitchen Table

This paper investigates the bahbsang—the Korean kitchen table—as a sacred cultural and spiritual site through which Korean and Korean American women navigate intricate intersections of identity, spirituality, and heritage, particularly as they confront and resist diasporic experiences of racism and sexism. Drawing upon Song Nam Soon’s foundational assertion that bahb (rice) symbolizes life itself within the Korean diaspora, this analysis posits the bahbsang as far more than merely a space for physical nourishment. Instead, it serves as a pivotal arena for intergenerational transmission, cultural transformation, and socio-political resistance, bridging traditional practices and innovative adaptations.

The paper first situates the bahbsang within a historical context, exploring how Korean Christian grandmothers navigated socio-political turmoil and rigid Confucian patriarchal expectations in the aftermath of the Korean War. For these women, the bahbsang became a contested space where patriarchal traditions, such as ancestral rites (제사), were critically negotiated and reshaped in alignment with their emerging religious identities. Through culinary practices encapsulated in the concept of sonmat—literally "the taste of one’s hands"—these grandmothers preserved and passed down embodied wisdom and emotional narratives. Sonmat serves as a unique cultural archive, storing emotional memories and collective experiences such as han (collective sorrow from systemic injustices) and jeong (deeply relational empathy). The paper draws upon feminist theologians Chung Hyun Kyung and Wonhee Anne Joh, whose theoretical insights underscore the bahbsang as a sacred space where domestic culinary acts are elevated into rituals of resistance and spiritual agency, fundamentally challenging traditional patriarchal and colonial frameworks.

Expanding into contemporary diasporic contexts, this study analyzes the evolving nature of the bahbsang, examining how Korean and Korean American communities today navigate new cultural practices and emerging socio-political realities. Incorporating Choi Hee An’s conception of postcolonial identity as a palimpsest of memory and innovation, the paper argues that the bahbsang functions as a fluid and adaptable space that continuously integrates cultural traditions with current realities. It emphasizes how everyday culinary rituals, including new practices such as honbap (eating alone), challenge traditional collective norms while fostering personal autonomy, resilience, and innovative forms of community. Drawing upon Boyung Lee’s interpretation of sonmat as a holistic pedagogical tool, the analysis highlights culinary practices as inherently political acts through which Korean and Korean American women assert agency, affirm identity, and build solidarity within diasporic communities.

Further, the paper emphasizes the critical role of the bahbsang within Korean and Korean American church communities, positioning communal meals as sacred rituals essential to maintaining cultural identity and collective spiritual resilience. In these church settings, shared meals around the bahbsang foster communal belonging and reinforce cultural continuity amidst experiences of marginalization and fragmentation. Grace Ji-Sun Kim’s perspective on diasporic identity as continuously reshaped through hybrid practices further illuminates how communal dining rituals at the bahbsang serve as dynamic spaces for theological reflection, cultural renewal, and communal resilience.

Ultimately, the paper synthesizes its historical and contemporary analyses to reframe the babsang as a powerful site of feminist theological innovation and cultural resistance. By reconceptualizing domestic culinary labor at the bahbsang as sacred, political, and transformative, this study challenges prevailing patriarchal narratives that historically undervalued women’s contributions to cultural and spiritual life. It asserts the transformative potential inherent within everyday culinary practices, positioning them as authoritative expressions of women's embodied experiences, knowledge, and spiritual insights.

In conclusion, shared sonmat symbolizes an enduring commitment to cultural continuity, communal solidarity, and spiritual resilience amidst the ongoing fragmentation and marginalization experienced within diasporic contexts. Thus, the bahbsang transcends its domestic origins, becoming a profound testament to the resilience, creativity, and spiritual authority of Korean and Korean American women. By embracing both tradition and transformation, the bahbsang facilitates sacred meaning-making, collective resistance, and community cohesion, affirming the crucial roles women play in sustaining and dynamically adapting cultural heritage across generations. This analysis advocates for a broader recognition of everyday culinary practices as profound acts of resistance and resilience, underscoring their capacity to reshape cultural understanding and theological discourse. 

Ultimately, this paper invites participants at the AAR conference to reflect on their own “heart memories”—the personal narratives, struggles, and aspirations embedded within culinary traditions—and to envision their own tables as altars of radical hospitality through the intentional welcoming of special sonmat onto the bahbsang.