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Immigrants, Ragu Pasta Sauce, and Kimchi

You might be thinking, what does a first generation Korean American have to say about Ragu Pasta sauce? Plenty! Growing up, my mom had two staple American dishes that she made: tacos and spaghetti and meat sauce. The meat sauce was always made with Ragu Pasta Sauce.

Our Immigration Story

My family immigrated here from Korea in September 1974. I was 2.5 years old. Here are my lovely parents during their engagement:

Parents

Aren’t they a handsome couple?

Here I am – this was my passport photo for when we came to America.

AngPassport Photo

So serious…

We lived in California and acclimated easily as young children. My parents tell us that we learned English by watching Sesame Street and playing with the other children in our apartment building.

Ragu Pasta Sauce: Bringing Cultures Together

Being first generation immigrants has the benefit and cost of blending two cultures. Food was one area of crossover between the two cultures. Our normal dinner consisted of rice, soup, banchan (little side dishes), and fish or beef. However, we loved it when we ate American meals because it was a completely different experience for our taste buds!

My favorite meal as a first generation immigrant https://ooh.li/5cc41ed #simmeredintradition #ad Click To Tweet

One of the American meals we had on a consistent basis was spaghetti with a meat sauce. My mom worked at a hearing aid factory for many years when we were growing up. She learned to make all of her American recipes from co-workers. Her co-worker taught her to make it with onion, celery, carrots, ground beef, dried parsley, and sauce, slowly simmered for a long time.

ragu pasta sauce ingredients

My parents always bought Ragu pasta sauce. They didn’t know about Assunta’s immigration story or her entrepreneurial spirit, but they would have resonated with her story. My parents were loyal to Ragu because they connected with the great tasting sauce and familiarity of the brand.

spaghetti with ragu pasta sauce

I have vivid memories of my dad eating spaghetti with kimchi, a fermented cabbage that is commonly eaten with every Korean meal. Eventually we didn’t think anything of it – and sometimes joined him in eating our spaghetti with kimchi. Pasta, sauce, and kimchi – the blending of two worlds.

Spaghetti and Kimchi? You bet! https://ooh.li/5cc41ed #simmeredintradition #ad Click To Tweet

Today my family eats spaghetti and meat sauce weekly. It’s one of my sons’ favorite meals. It’s a quick and easy weeknight dinner with prepared sauce. I love my mom’s effort in adding additional veggies to the sauce, but we’re in a season where we don’t have the time for that. I’m so glad Ragu’s sauces have 2 servings of veggies for every serving. This one is my favorite.

My sons actually won’t try kimchi at all, so the tradition of spaghetti and kimchi stops with me. We usually don’t have a fresh supply of kimchi in our house, but you can often find me eating my spaghetti with a pickle or two.

ragu pasta sauce

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What was a staple in your home growing up?

Comments

  2. Your parents are so very beautiful and handsome. I’ll have to ask our three Korean babysitters for our children about kimchi. Funny.

    My parents were immigrants along with my older siblings. I was first USA born.
    Staples were beef stew, fish on Friday but we also had pork n beans until one friend was shocked that mom served it. We all wanted Chinese one night seeing our neighbors come home with boxes. So Mom called her dinner that night Chinese, said it was Pot Tea Chen Wa. We were thrilled. Years later at a work pot luck I brought my Mom’s Chinese dish only to have co-workers tell me it was Sheoherd’s Pie (French.Pate Chinoiserie ). Mom had a great sense of humor!!! 🙂

  3. I loved reading this! I can picture your mom learning new American recipes to share with her family. This is so sweet!

    • Thanks Abby! We used to eat tacos with carrots too which I don’t think is the norm. I’m pretty sure she was taught that as well!

    • Thanks for commenting Liz. It sounds like you got to travel with your mom which sounds like quite an adventure. Thanks for sharing!

  8. Love the pictures of your parents and you as a baby. What a great story. We moved to Germany when I was 6 and I learned German much the way it sounds like you learned English. Great post and recipe. 🙂

    • Thank you Michelle. I appreciate you dropping in and commenting. I think many languages are learned via children’s shows and neighborhood children!

  9. I love this story! And I especially love the photos you shared. I would totally do kimchi and spaghetti – kimchi with everything! It just makes everything better, doesn’t it? 🙂

  10. Aw, this is so sweet, your passport photo is adorable! My parents immigrated from India and I was born in America. I love hearing stories about the immigrant experience. Thanks for sharing with Small Victories Sunday Linkup. Pinning to our linkup board and hope you found some great posts to visit this week!

  11. Oh I LOVE your story! How amazing to have such a direct connection and tie in with this brand! It is definitely one of our favorites!

    • Thank you Branson. Yes, I was excited to write it because it was naturally part of my story already. I loved your recipe too – I’m going to make meatballs!

    • You love kimchi Heidy! That’s great. It’s definitely an acquired taste…and smell. I think the smell turns my kids off from trying it. 🙁

  13. What a LOVELY website you have, Angela. I have gone dancing through it. This page is beautiful. Your parents and you are very beautiful. And the spaghetti sauce looks delish!!
    Thank you,
    -Brooke.

    • Thank you Brooke! I appreciate you coming and spending time here. I especially appreciate you commenting and hope to see you again!

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