So, last summer I got an email from a super nice guy on the other side of the globe in Seoul, South Korea.
Cho Kyungkyu. This is him.
I get a lot of emails from readers, usually praising my talents -you’re welcome, but Cho was looking for permission to use a few pictures from our Texas State Fair day for a graphic novel he was writing.
His book series, Omurice Jamjam (Korean for “I Love Food”), is a graphic depiction of food from around the world. It’s pretty popular, just Google. He was drawing/writing the 7th issue and currently working on a section about the cult following of corny dogs. Which led him to us. Naturally.
After reading about how much he loves Texas BBQ and the films of Robert Rodriguez, how could I say no? I love being a part of pop culture, and would much rather share pictures with actual people and not just greedy magazines looking for free content.
Of course I said,”yes“.
Then I just kinda forgot about it. People are always contacting me for the use of my pictures – most recently for a textbook on haunted objects – and I rarely ever hear anything from them again.
But just this past week…… a box from South Korea arrived.
With a signed Omurice Jamjam #7 book for each of us.
Check out the awesome double-paged spread we got…
You can tell we’re eating in the United States because;
- Everything is deep fried
- Everything is brown (except for the unnaturally fluorescent green “Smokey Bacon Margarita”)
- There isn’t a fresh veggie in sight (except for the celery garnish on the “B-B-Q Brisket Eggrolls….which we skipped over)
Now people all over South Korea will be saying, “Look how much garbage those fat Americans ate!”….That’s the first thing I thought. HA!
And as an added thank you, Cho also threw in a handful of pretty tasty South Korean food treats. Somehow, he got the idea that we aren’t afraid of sugar/sodium. Hmmmm
Cho even took the time to label each snack with a post-it.
He was just way too sweet. We were honestly flattered just to be a part of his wonderful book series.
And no, Cho
Thank you.
THE CAVENDER DIARY 
I love that he included the mouse coaster photo
So Do I !!!!! (But I kinda wish it was a “post-weight loss” picture.)
Sweet!
This story made me smile.
Glad it could Sheri!
Such a well-mannered guy!
How Awesome James! You (yourself) have a knack of storytelling and keeping someone’s attention & laughter even on the simplest thing such as a Texas corny dog. I can see where Cho was capitivated by your style. Congrats for getting recognized. Cheers to many more great stories!
Jacqueline
Awwwww thanks. I’m glad just to have an outlet/audience for all those stories……pretty sure that Jamie’s heard them all before.
This is so neat! How thoughtful of him!
Wasn’t it though? Don’t worry, because we’re returning the favor……I’m packing up a care package of American snacks for Cho and his family. I’ll probably throw in a copy of my book as well. Isn’t all this fun?
This is fabulous! How awesome for him send you a copy of his book AND treats. 🙂
I know Tina, makes the planet seem a little smaller, doesn’t it?
This is exactly what internet should be about !
Creating network for great and creative people.
Guillaume, I thought the same thing. I started blogging so that “people like me” could find me and follow along with my adventures. And it’s worked……every person who’s reached out ,over the past 7 years, could be a blog post all their own.
What a wonderful gift!!! And, it’s nice that it was so totally unexpected.
Wow! Great the way that happened. I love his self-portrait!
…and James, you should blog more often. I know you’re busy with the new book, but we miss the updates…on everything.
Thank you. There has been a lot of distractions the past year……Someone recently suggested that I get a hobby. And I thought, wait a minute, I think I have one.
This is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while – and just the thing to remind us all just how interconnected our little planet is! Thanks so much for sharing it, James!
….and aren’t I lucky that good, normal people keep finding me? Amazing how much I can have in common with someone on the other side of the globe.
How precious is that?? 🙂
I was touched enough to share it with y’all. Glad you enjoyed.
SOO COOL!!!!
Buenas, mi hija luego de su regreso, hizo comentarios muy similares… quedó muy sorprendida, ya que su estudios de medicina la motivaron a realizar un diagnóstico bastante desalentador, a largo plazo… espero