The subtitle says it all: Conversation with my psychiatrist. At some point in her life, the author realises that she needs help and sees a psychiatrist for dysthymia and other psychiatric problems, mainly a very low self-esteem. In the form of conversations with her psychiatrist, she slowly goes through her problems. I wanted to read this book because of the title, which made me smile, because I can totally relate to the feeling, even if my desire would not be for tteokbokki. I found the story sadder than the title might suggest, but interesting to go through the twists and turns of someone else’s mind.
“I read something about that in a book, that emotions have something like passageways, and if you keep blocking your bad emotions, you end up blocking your good emotions as well. Your emotional tunnels become blocked. That really rang true for me.”
Original title : 죽고 싶지만 떡볶이는 먹고 싶어 / Jukgo sipjiman tteokbokkineun meokgo sipeo
Translated from Korean