Yes, in case you were wondering, and in case you’re either Korean or Korean American, I’m Appa (Daddy) for two, eleven-year-old Ryan and eight-year-old (but going on sixteen) Sophie. For non-Koreans, I have the choice of being addressed as either Ryan’s Appa or Sophie’s Appa for the rest of my days, but this would come at the expense of my own name. Nice idea, but…
Life story haiku before we begin: native NYer but grew up in New Jersey and Texas, George Washington University dropout, enlisted in the US Army, been writing on and off since high school, love me some Irish whiskey, oenophile, gourmand, chef, restauranteur, and father.
I welcome any and all feedback at dmkim1128@gmail.com.
Okay, like the Iron Mike statue at Fort Benning says, “follow me!” Thanks, and hope you enjoy.
1. I love John Wayne movies and wanted to be him when I was little.
2. Just a few of the artists in my iTunes: Waylon Jennings, Metallica, Otis Redding, Mozart, Kanye West, Diana Krall, Social Distortion, Big & Rich.
3. I hate whiners because I used to be one.
4. I have a few friends in Arlington National Cemetery. I miss them dearly, I loved the pageantry but hated the finality of their funerals.
5. My work ethic comes from my mother.
6. My temper also comes from my mother.
7. I remember first wanting to learn how to cook when i was about 10, because my mother was in the hospital and my dad had burned toast.
8. I’ve either given away or burned almost all my military memorabilia and photos. I still have a dress blue uniform that no longer fits me, that’s about it.
9. Chefs have taught me more over the years than all the front-of-house managers I’ve worked for combined.
10. I miss not having any professional responsibilities sometimes, the good/bad old days when I was a bartender and waiter who never had to bring work home.
11. I was probably the biggest bleeding heart liberal in the Army at one point. Damn near got my butt whupped when I told someone that I voted for Clinton in ’92.
12. I refuse to believe that everything will be better, and come up roses, if I only accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior.
13. Music that got me through some rough deployments: Eric Clapton Unplugged, Scarecrow by John Mellencamp, Pink Floyd’s The Wall, Aretha Franklin’s Greatest Hits, Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, Exile on Main Street by the Stones, the Beatles’ White Album, the Rosamunde string quartet by Schubert, and the Purple Rain soundtrack.
14. I used to hate fighting until I realized that the other boys hated it more. Once I came to grips with that, I stopped getting my butt kicked in school.
15. I almost pissed myself on my first parachute jump, but the rest were cake.
16. My second year of college is one long drunken blur, which means I probably had a great time. I dropped out and enlisted soon after that.
17. Having children beats just about anything I used to do for an adrenaline rush – like, for instance, standing up in the middle of a firefight because I couldn’t see the enemy from my safe position behind a stone wall. Not smart. Don’t do that at home, kids.
18. I gave my Thurman Munson autographed baseball to one of one of my soldiers whose kid was dying of leukemia.
19. One of this country’s bravest heroes used to be in my squad, recently retired from active duty, and is as queer as a three dollar bill. When DADT came out, I told him, “I never asked and you never told, so no worries.” He’s now married to his partner of almost 20 years.
20. When we opened our own restaurant, my business partner taught me everything, and in great gory detail, about how to run an unprofitable business, how to mistreat subordinates, and how to pass the buck.
21. I love chasing my kids around the house.
22. I used to run from things, and God knows, there was a lot of stuff to run from in DC, which is kind of how I wound up back in New York in 2001.
23. I didn’t know jack or shit about wine or fine dining until Chef Bob Kinkead hired me to tend bar in his restaurant. When I asked him why he hired me with no experience, and only meeting me when he came to my dive bar once or twice, he said, “You made me laugh, kid.”
24. My biggest regret is not finishing college.
25. My biggest prides are my children, Ryan and Sophie.
Appa For Two 