I remember the first time I felt major culture shock, it was when I moved from Oahu to Miami for college.

Miami was a long way from home, and after spending my childhood in Hawaiʻi, I was ready to get off the rock. Little did I know that homesickness was gonna hit me like a truck.

At first, it was just fun and exciting; new experiences, new people, new city. But the first thing that hit me was the food… after 2 weeks of dining hall food, I had had enough.

There were not many other Asian or mixed kids around. I didn’t meet many people who could relate to me, and if you have ever been to Miami, you know it is a food desert for good Asian food.

So after making some friends, I decided to put them on to some authentic Asian food. I went on Yelp and searched for the highest-rated Korean restaurant nearby. We took an Uber to the spot, and the whole time I had been hyping up Meat Jun, telling them about how delicious it was.

We got seated at our table, and I was scanning the menu, but no Meat Jun. I was confused, so I asked the waiter, and she looked at me like I had three heads. She replied with “What is Meat Jun?”

In that very embarrassing moment, I realized two things: maybe Meat Jun was a local thing, and maybe I should check the menu before arriving at a restaurant.