PodoNamu 포도나무

Earlier this year, I made my first short documentary film. I interviewed Mirye Roh, the manager of the local Kingston Korean restaurant PodoNamu and her daughter Hahsun Kim, a part-time worker at the restaurant and a student at St. Lawrence College. PodoNamu has been serving the Kingston and Queen's University community delicious and authentic Korean meals since 2014. Despite being the manager of the restaurant, Mrs. Roh performs multiple tasks in the restaurant, including both the front and back of house. She reflected in her interview that, as a young woman growing up in South Korea, she didn’t have a clear goal or dream of what she wanted to achieve in life. However, she had over twenty part-time jobs, where she worked as hard as she could and always took pride in doing her best.

As I spent more time with Mrs. Roh and her daughter, what shone throughout her interview was her kindness and warmth. Despite the long days in the restaurant, I saw the care and consideration in all her gestures towards customers, big and small. When I interviewed her daughter, Hahsun, about her mother, she said exactly what I had observed: “Anyone you ask about her, who knows her, will always talk about her heart”.

Hahsun also expressed that she was proud of her mother and grateful that she had the courage to immigrate to Canada and give her the life she now has;“ I like the way I am and my life recently”. Mrs. Roh, in turn, expressed how proud she was of the person her daughter has not only become but also has always been —hard-working, conscientious, and always supportive of her mother—and her confidence in her daughter’s ability to face any future challenges or difficulties. Though they were speaking to me, they were clearly speaking to each other.

For many first-generation Asian Canadian and American immigrant children, words of love and pride from their parents are a privilege often not afforded. Several close friends of mine and even broader peers have expressed this shared experience with me, however, during the interview, I thought about my own mother and her mother. They were also first-generation Korean immigrants to Canada. It took many decades for my grandmother to be able to utter those words to her own children. But now, my grandmother, in her late eighties, expresses her love openly and often.

I titled my film PodoNamu. Meaning “grape tree or vine” in Korean, it is a rigorous and adaptable plant that can take a few years to fully blossom.

For a great meal and the chance to support some lovely people, PodoNamu can be found at 264 Princess Street. (My personal favourite dishes are Gamjatang & Seolleongtang, however, my roommates enjoy the many flavours of Chicken!)

Smell You Later