Lee O-deok, Writing Our Language Correctly, and Asparagus

20210116 I recall reading #LeeOdeok's #WritingOurLanguageCorrectly quite a while ago, and one part has stuck with me: The word 'geunyeo' ('she'), which doesn't originally exist in Korean, is a translation of the Japanese word 'kanojo' (彼女), so there's really no need to distinguish 'he' from 'she' in Korean the way it forces us to. In everyday speech, people just say 'geu saram' ('that person') and rarely bother with 'geunyeo.' 'That kid,' 'that woman,' 'that lady,' or simply 'he/that one' works just fine. On top of that, it still bothers me a little that saying 'geunyeo' conjures up an image of a woman with long straight hair and pale skin. (Maybe it's just me.) Anyway, thanks to that book, I've come to enjoy using the gender-neutral 'geu,' and it makes me happy whenever I meet someone else who does the same. Heat olive oil in a pan and blanch the prettiest asparagus in the world. Add a little salt and pepper if you like. Also lightly reheat some broccoli I'd pre-boiled. Drizzle with dressing right before eating.