The Korean Wave 2010-2011 - Korean Cultural Service

The New York Times, Friday, October 14, 2011Web OnlyBut her family was impressed. “They said hemust really like me to go to so much effort,” shesaid. “He worked so hard to get my attention.”When he returned to the United States later that summer,he worked tirelessly to rehabilitate his knee beforeMs. Kim joined him at his rented summer house inthe Hamptons.“He was constantly exercising with a pursed brow andfocused stare — like Rocky,” said Peter Friedland, whoshared the house with Mr. Varet and who has knownhim since high school. “This was a Joseph Varet I hadnever seen before. A Joseph in gym clothes. A Josephin love.”Everything the two of them did together that Augustwas studied and artful, from the particular way theyground and brewed coffee, to the beach time theyspent not sunning or swimming but painting watercolorsto present to each other.They began to see the beauty in their differences.“He’s solid where I’m like water,” Ms. Kim said. “Inever caught him in a lie.”Last year, the couple extended their reach for artisticexpression and perfection by embarking on a fourmonthtrip to Southeast Asia to discover the best streetfood, something both are passionate about.“We went to all the most obscure food carts to eatsome of the most bodacious foods imaginable,” Ms.Kim said. “It was that adventurous spirit, whetherwe’re in L.A., Brooklyn, Seoul or Penang, that propelledus to spend so much time together, to exploreand share experiences and that will inspire us to keepgoing tomorrow.”The couple concluded their travels with a visit duringthe Thanksgiving holiday to Ms. Kim’s parents’ homein Hawaii, where Mr. Varet proposed in front of severalfamily members, including her parents.“Before I proposed, I had to have a sit-down with herfather, who is very traditional,” Mr. Varet said. “Hehad to make me sweat a little. He knew I hadn’t beenworking and wanted to know why.” He passed musterby explaining that he was making investments in startupmedia companies.Mr. Varet gave Ms. Kim a $4 ring bought at a beachstand; he knew she would want to design her ownring.On April 9, the couple stood surrounded by 14 austere,plum-colored paintings by the abstract artist MarkRothko at the nondenominational Rothko Chapel inHouston. The Rev. Shawn Kang, a Presbyterian minister,officiated with Rabbi Monty Eliasov taking partin the ceremony. The bride’s brother, Abraham Kim,played the processional on his Hawaiian ukulele.After the religious ceremony, guests gathered fora seated Korean banquet at the Sheraton HoustonBrookhollow Hotel, owned by the bride’s father. Thehotel’s ballroom had been transformed into whatlooked like a mod nightclub: the floor covered withiridescent white synthetic turf, the walls draped withfolds of frothy, white fabric, accented with turquoiseand orange lighting.The trendy ambience contrasted with the Korean paebaekceremony, during which the couple wore traditionalsilk robes, known as hanboks, as he carried herpiggyback around the room to symbolize his ability tosupport her.The couple will continue their quest for artistic adventure,once back from an African safari honeymoon.They will live in Venice Beach, Calif., where the bridegroombought a three-story contemporary town house.Ms. Kim hopes to show and sell art in an exhibitionspace on the ground floor as she finishes her Ph.D. dissertation,which focuses on the influence of computertechnology on conceptual art.She said that art, like street food, is a connection sheand Mr. Varet share that sustains and nourishes theirrelationship: “It’s always changing form and creatingchallenges to old ways of thinking, or savoring, theworld.”This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:Correction: May 1, 2011The Vows column last Sunday, about the marriage of EstherKim and Joseph Varet, misspelled the name of a traditionalKorean garment. It is a hanbok, not hambok.A White HouseDebut for Doo.RiBy ERIC WILSONMichelle Obama has not been entirely consistentwhen it comes to dressing for statedinners. Since the considered choice of agold gown by Naeem Khan, a designer with Indianroots who is based in America, for the first dinner forthe prime minister of India in November of 2009, shehas mixed things up, wearing Peter Soronen to a dinnerfor the Mexican president, and that controversialAlexander McQueen dress for the president of China.She wore another dress by Mr. Khan to a dinner forthe chancellor of Germany.There is likely to be little complaint about her latestchoice. For Thursday night’s dinner for PresidentLee Myung-Bak of South Korea at the White House,in the wake of the free-trade agreement approved byCongress, she wore a smashing plum one-shoulderedjersey dress by the Korean-American designer Doo-riChung, which she accented with a turquoise beadedbelt. It looked like a colorful evening, with the AhnTrio in primary colors, though Janelle Monae stuckwith her signature tuxedo. “I’ve always been a fan ofpurple, and I thought it was fitting for her,” Ms. Chungsaid in a phone interview Friday morning. “Purple isthe color of royalty, and she wears it beautifully.”48Copyright © 2011 by The New York Times Co. Reprinted with permission.Copyright © 2011 by The New York Times Co. Reprinted with permission.49