New slice-of-life novel finds comfort in food and human connection

A new Korean novel explores the quiet comforts of food and human connection through 15 interwoven stories drawn from ordinary life.

Set against the backdrop of everyday routines — exhausting commutes home, the pressures of prolonged exam preparation and unexpected crises at work — Lee Su-min's debut novel "When You Start With Something Delicious" (literal translation) follows seemingly ordinary people navigating moments of uncertainty and change.

While fatigue and emotional numbness have become ...