wyndham

Missing!

One, super-cool, Marlboro Man thermos is the only thing keeping me from getting my butt kicked. Need more proof? I can’t climb the rope in gym class. My arms quake when I do push ups. I play the violin. I’m a 1st generation Korean who now lives in Washakie, Wyoming and is shorter than most of the girls in my class.

Cowboy cool. Rebel smoker. American tough guy. This thermos qualifies me for bad-ass. And distracts from the fact my mom cuts my hair. Caution: contents are hot. And embarrassing. And not what a still prepubescent Korean-American, who’s looking to fit in, wants to be chowing down on come high noon in the school cafeteria. This is the land of Steak-ums. Burgers and fries. Grilled cheese. No fruit, no vegetables. And definitely no Bulgogi. “Eww, gross what’s that?” I can’t risk mean girl detection. A question like that could land me in teen exile forever. So this family favorite recipe of hacked beef, swimming in garlicky-brown sauce, which would appear semi-digested to the general Washakie student body, comes to school with me concealed inside the ultimate American, status symbol, a Marlboro Man thermos.

If found please return to the new kid in School. Who? Me, Washakie’s official WyomAsian mascot. The recent transfer who might have lost his only chance to blend in with a lunchtime crowd made up of guys called Buddy, Jim Bo, Duke and Travis. Go Wild Cats!