Samgetang // Conan

I wash the rice, unwrap the whole raw chicken, add water, throw in jujubees and garlic, drop a handful of gingseng, and turn the slow cooker on to cook for two hours.

I'm making samgetang which is Korean ginseng chicken soup. It's a traditional dish that my mom makes whenever someone is sick in the family. I learned to cook through watching my mom and she was facetiming me the entire process to make sure I got it right. I'm making this soup for my grandma.

Two hours pass and I open the slow cooker and steam encases my face. It smells of the chicken soup my grandma used to make for me when I was sick growing up. A hint of ginseng and a hint of sweetness from the jujubees. I pack it in a traditional Korean soup pot to bring to my grandma.

I arrive at my grandma's and she's sitting down on the sofa, reading The Mulberry Project. Her body is thin and frail, her face hollow. "Hi grandma. I made you some ginseng chicken soup to help you get better fast!"

"Oh Conan... thank you. Grandma loves you so much. Anyway, how did you learn to make this soup? Did your umma help you?"

"Yes grandma. Umma helped me a little bit with the directions, but I made it by myself. Here, try it!"

She grabs the spoon slowly and dips it into the soup. Her hand is shaking a little, so I support her hand. Then she puts it to her mouth and takes a bite. "Mmm... Conan... this is better than your umma's! Don't tell her I said that," Grandma said laughing. She takes a few more bites until the soup is halfway done. "I'm very full Conan. Thank you so much. Please pack the leftovers for me to eat tomorrow."

I go to the kitchen to grab a reusable container and a big spoon to transfer the soup. I come back and grandma is laying down next to the soup on the coffee table. I start spooning the soup into the container--it's cold now, solidified, a pale ghostly white color. I turn to my grandma and I notice the color of her skin the same as the soup. "Grandma?" "Grandma?" "Grandma???" I place my head on her chest and I don't feel her breathing. "Grandma!!!" "Grandma!!! Please wake up!!!" "Please... Please..."