Project Mulberry

Julia Song, her little brother Kenny, and her parents are Korean American. They moved to mostly white Plainfield, Illinois, two years previously; she quickly became friends with Patrick, a white boy her age who lives down the street with his large family. Julia is sensitive about her Korean heritage, as past (white) friends expressed disgust for kimchi. Kimchi is a Korean staple dish made of pickled cabbage that has a very strong smell. Julia herself dislikes kimchi because of its spicy taste, but Patrick loves it, which cemented their friendship.

Julia and Patrick are searching for a suitable project for their farming-related Work-Grow-Give-Live! (WGGL/Wiggle) Club. They want to enter the competition at the state fair in the animal husbandry category but can’t come up with a workable idea.

At the end of the chapter, Julia asks Ms. Park, an authorial self-insert character, about Park’s inspiration for the novel’s plotline and the characterizations of Patrick and Julia herself. Park reveals that Julia’s negative experiences with kimchi are based on Park’s own past.