'Crying in H Mart' taught me the value of eating through grief 'Crying in H Mart' taught me the value of eating through grief When critic Soleil Ho first read the book, the idea of death was fairly abstract to her. Then, her grandfather got sick. FacebookTwitterEmail 2of2 Soleil Ho's & Justin Phillip's food and culture podcast.San Francisco ChronicleShow MoreShow Less When I first read “Crying in H Mart,” the debut nonfiction book by musician Michelle Zauner (also known as the front woman for Japanese Breakfast), the idea of death was fairly abstract to me. In the book, she recounts the many times she’s used food and eating to center herself amid uncertain circumstances: when she struggled to meet the high expectations of her family, and when she faced the challenge of taking care of her mother while she slowly died of a terminal illness. In her grief, Zauner finds solace in making pine nut porridge, watching families shop for snacks at H Mart and digging into fresh seafood from a fish market in Busan, South Korea. Zauner follows her cravings, hoping that the trail will lead her toward closure.