Crying in H Mart Flashcards
Cryptic
Samar
having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure
While she never actually taught me how to cook (Korean people tend to disavow measurements and supply only cryptic instructions along the lines of “add sesame oil until it tastes like Mom’s”), she did raise me with a distinctly Korean appetite.
Disavow
Mengingkari
deny any responsibility or support for
While she never actually taught me how to cook (Korean people tend to disavow measurements and supply only cryptic instructions along the lines of “add sesame oil until it tastes like Mom’s”), she did raise me with a distinctly Korean appetite.
Predisposition
Kecenderungan
a liability or tendency to suffer from a particular condition, hold a particular attitude, or act in a particular way
This meant a reverence for good food and a predisposition to emotional eating.
Reverence
Penghormatan
deep respect for someone or something
This meant a reverence for good food and a predisposition to emotional eating.
Ludicrous
so foolish, unreasonable, or out of place as to be amusing; ridiculous
The concept of prepping meals for the week was a ludicrous affront to our lifestyle.
Affront
Penghinaan
an action or remark that causes outrage or offense
The concept of prepping meals for the week was a ludicrous affront to our lifestyle.
Postpartum
Pascapersalinan
following childbirth or the birth of young
On my birthday, we ate miyeokguk—a hearty seaweed soup full of nutrients that women are encouraged to eat postpartum and that Koreans traditionally eat on their birthdays to celebrate their mothers.
Arbitrary
Secara acak
based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system
My grief comes in waves and is usually triggered by something arbitrary.
Discard
Membuang
get rid of (someone or something) as no longer useful or desirable
I’ll cry when I see a Korean grandmother eating seafood noodles in the food court, discarding shrimp heads and mussel shells onto the lid of her daughter’s tin rice bowl.
Immutable
Kekal, abadi
unchanging over time or unable to be changed
There’s no escape, just a hard surface that I keep ramming into over and over, a reminder of the immutable reality that I will never see her again.
Outskirts
Pinggiran kota
the outer parts of a town or city
H Marts are usually situated on the outskirts of the city and serve as a secondary center for strip malls of Asian storefronts and restaurants that are always better than the ones found closer to town.
Odorous
Berbau
whatever has a strong distinctive smell whether pleasant or unpleasant
H Mart is where your people gather under one odorous roof, full of faith that they’ll find something they can’t find anywhere else.
Pivotal
Sangat penting
central and important
The year they got married, the year she left her home country, her mother, and two sisters and embarked on a pivotal chapter of her adult life.
Obscure
Samar
not clearly seen or easily distinguished
Every fall I have to scroll through the photos I’ve taken of her gravestone to reconfirm the date engraved, half obscured by the multicolored bouquets I’ve left these past five years.
Impending
Mendatang
(of an event regarded as threatening or significant) about to happen; forthcoming
Some sort of internal clock whirs without fail around every impending birthday, death day, anniversary, and holiday.
Inundate
Membanjiri
overwhelm (someone) with things or people to be dealt with
His psyche intuitively darkens the week before and soon enough he’ll inundate me with Facebook messages about how unfair it all is and how I’ll never know what it’s like to lose your best friend.
Transpose
Mengubah (urutan)
cause (two or more things) to change places with each other
Jjamppong, spicy seafood noodle soup with extra vegetables from Cafe Seoul, which she always called Seoul Cafe, transposing the syntax of her native tongue.
Uproot
Pindahan
move (someone) from their home or a familiar location
The position afforded stability and an end to my family’s biannual intercontinental uprooting, and so we immigrated when I was just a year old.
Biannual
Dua kali setahun
occurring twice a year
The position afforded stability and an end to my family’s biannual intercontinental uprooting, and so we immigrated when I was just a year old.
Lush
Subur
(of vegetation) growing luxuriantly
The seasons are mild, drizzly, and gray for most of the year but give way to a lush, unspoiled summer.
Unspoiled
Murni
not spoiled, in particular (of a place) not marred by development
The seasons are mild, drizzly, and gray for most of the year but give way to a lush, unspoiled summer.
Incessantly
Terus menerus
without interruption; constantly
It rains incessantly and yet I never knew an Oregonian to carry an umbrella.
Bounty
Karunia
something given or occurring in generous amounts
Eugenians are proud of the regional bounty and were passionate about incorporating local, seasonal, and organic ingredients well before it was back in vogue.
Estuary
Muara
he tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream
Anglers are kept busy in fresh waters, fishing for wild chinook salmon in the spring and steelhead in the summer, and sweet Dungeness crab is abundant in the estuaries year-round.
Abundant
Melimpah
existing or available in large quantities; plentiful
Anglers are kept busy in fresh waters, fishing for wild chinook salmon in the spring and steelhead in the summer, and sweet Dungeness crab is abundant in the estuaries year-round.
Forage
obtain food or provisions from (a place)
Local farmers gather every Saturday downtown to sell homegrown organic produce and honey, foraged mushrooms, and wild berries.
Ignite
Membakar, menyalakan (api)
to catch fire or set fire to; burn or cause to burn
Once a month he’d ignite the burn piles he’d gathered, letting me squeeze the lighter fluid onto their bases, and we’d admire his handiwork as the six-foot bonfires went up in flames.
Smother
Menutupi
suppress (a feeling or an action)
Left with her in the woods, I was overwhelmed by her time and attention, a devotion that I learned could both be an auspicious privilege and have smothering consequences.
Auspicious
conducive to success; favorable
Left with her in the woods, I was overwhelmed by her time and attention, a devotion that I learned could both be an auspicious privilege and have smothering consequences.
Vigilant
Waspada
conducive to success; favorable
Making a home had been her livelihood since I was born, and while she was vigilant and protective, she wasn’t what you would call coddling.
Ailment
Penyakit (ringan)
an illness, typically a minor one
A Mommy-Mom is someone who takes an interest in everything her child has to say even when there is no actual way she gives a shit, who whisks you away to the doctor when you complain of the slightest ailment.
Livid
Murka
furiously angry
But when I got hurt, my mom was livid, as if I had maliciously damaged her property.
Sinewy
A sinewy love that never gave way to an inch of weakness.
Retrospect
Mengingat kembali
a survey or review of a past course of events or period of time
I realize this now, only in retrospect.
Zeal
Semangat
great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective
She believed in QVC products with the zeal of a conspiracy theorist.
Contention
heated disagreement
I was too impatient to keep up with any kind of regimen my mother tried to impose, a source of contention that would escalate throughout my adolescence.
Reprimanded
Ditegur
rebuke (someone), especially officially
Never a speck of lint on a coat, a pill on a sweater, or a single scuff on a patent-leather shoe, whereas I was reprimanded constantly for destroying or abruptly losing even those belongings I most dearly cherished.
Oafishness
Kecorobohan
the quality of being stupid, rude, or awkward
Mary Engelbreit miniature painted teapots lining the bookshelves in the hallway; porcelain ballerinas on the entryway credenza, the one in third position missing two fingers, a daily reminder of the consequences of my oafishness.
Coalesce
Menyatu
come together to form one mass or whole
I loved walking through the park across from my grandmother’s apartment building, the sound of thousands of maemi flying overhead, their chattering cicada wings coalescing with the traffic noise at night.
Envision
Membayangkan
imagine as a future possibility; visualize
I loved fondling ingredients and envisioning their endless possibilities and combinations.
Effeminate
Feminim (cowo)
(with reference to a man) having characteristics and ways of behaving traditionally associated with women and regarded as inappropriate for a man
He was seven years older than me, tall and sturdily built, but moved about with a dejected posture, shy and effeminate in spite of his size.
Conscription
Wajib militer
compulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces
As a teenager he was extremely self-conscious, consumed by the pressures of school and his impending conscription, the two years of military service every Korean man is required to complete.
Strenuously
(dgn) sekuat tenaga
in a way that requires great physical exertion
He suffered from bad acne and would strenuously attempt to manage it with a variety of topical cleansers and creams, going so far as to wash his face exclusively with bottled water.
Vanity
Lemari
a piece of bedroom furniture like a table with a mirror and drawers
She had a large, jade-colored vanity, its surface strewn with a hundred different kinds of nail polish.
Quiver
Gemetar
tremble or shake with a slight rapid motion.
Quiver words of caution from a useless sidekick and resolve with a dashing prince’s gallant coo.
Rind
Kulit buah
the tough outer skin of certain fruit, especially citrus fruit
It tasted like fruit rinds soaked in murky lake water and was the most bitter thing I’d ever consumed.
Jovial
Periang
cheerful and friendly
She was a big, jovial woman and she’d often make a joke out of craning her neck so the depth of field would make her face appear smaller.
