Lessons From “The Stories We Tell” Podcast and Asian Fruit Jelly Cups

I had a full-circle moment when childhood memories intersected with an experience last week. And I’d just heard a podcast with Joanna, Teresa, and Mikey that ties into all this.

I recently listened to all the episodes from Joanna Gaines’ The Stories We Tell and had a beautiful, full circle moment last week in a Vietnamese grocery store with my youngest son, JoJo (short for Joseph).

But before I get to that story, a little background so you can understand the fullness of the moment.

For whatever reason, I listened to the episodes out of order (🤔🤷🏻‍♀️). I’d just heard the recording of Joanna and her sisters, Teresa & Mikey, as they reflected on growing up in a mixed race household in the 70s & 80s.

Maybe I was meant to hear that episode last since it was fresh on my mind when I had the full circle moment.

Joanna, Teresa & Mikey shared their experience of being half Korean and how people treated them and their Korean mother. What stood out to me is how their own daughters are growing up with such a different perspective. Rather than shying away from their Asian heritage, they’re proud to be partly Asian and want to look more Asian. It’s amazing!

I resonate with so much of their story as a first generation Vietnamese American growing up in the suburbs of Fort Worth, Texas in the 80s and early 90s.

When I was young, I remember standing in line at a clothing store with my mom when a lady in front of us turned around and said, “No speak English?”

Then there was the time I walked to the neighborhood park with my older brother and sister and somebody drove past and yelled out the window, “Ching chang chong ching chang!!”

And here’s the childhood memory that brought me to a full circle moment in a Vietnamese grocery store last week:

When I was in elementary, I brought these little asian fruit jelly cups to school as part of my lunch. They were so tasty. I’d peel the cover off the top and start slurping away at that fruity, jelly goodness. The kids around me started murmuring, “What is that? What is she eating? That’s so weird…That’s really weird.”

I never brought it to school again.

Fast forward three decades to last Monday night as my little JoJo and I made our first-ever visit to an Asian grocery store together. He quickly noted the smell. (Asian grocery stores have a certain smell. IYKYK.) He flitted off, taking in all the sights, as I wandered and touched all the familiar things I used to frequently see in my home as a kid.

Suddenly, JoJo bounded up to me with none other than a container full of fruit jellies. “Can we get this?!”

Wow. Out of all the things he could’ve gotten in the store…I quickly flashed back to my younger self sitting at that lunch table with my fruit jellies.

I had never purchased fruit jellies for my kids, so how did JoJo know about these?!

“JoJo, how did you know about these? Have you had them before?”

“No,” he replied.

“What made you pick these out?”

“I dunno. They just look really GOOD!”

I had to smile in awe. They are really good, son, they are really good.

Sure, I’ll get them for you. Bring them to school and share them with alllll your classmates.

Joanna, Teresa, Mikey, thank you for sharing your story. It came at just the right time for me. Truly, our kiddos are showing us so many amazing things.

Below: Images of the story as it originally appeared on Sunday, January 8, 2023 on Instagram Story.