AMUSE BOUCHE- BECKY LEE

NAC:  You were raised in Pittsburgh, by South Korean parents.  It seems like an extraordinary clash of cultures--how did that affect your palate? LEE:  Because of all of the schools and universities in the Pittsburgh area, there was lots of different cuisine available.  And being raised in that environment, I always wanted to try new foods. My sister and I love food.  We didn't go to restaurants to eat Korean food, because my mother made it, but we always found restaurants of different ethnicities. NAC:  What would your mother cook at home? LEE: The dinner meal was usually Korean, but Korean food takes a long time to prepare, so usually dinner was the big get-together with the family.  We would wait until Dad came home from work.  Even during the school year, my Mom tried really hard to make it family time.

NAC:  Do you have a favorite dish? LEE:  Comfort food, like kalbi, Korean barbecued ribs.  It's one of the most popular Korean dishes.  Most people like it, even if you've never liked Korean food.  Typically dessert in the Korean culture is fruit.  I could eat watermelon every day for the rest of my life.  I don't know if it has to do with growing up with it, but I love it.  Also, maybe because Korean cuisine uses lot of seasoning, I like really spicy food. I love tuk bok ki—rice cakes that are long look like long thick noodles. Typically at a restaurant you can't get it.  It's very reminiscent of being a kid, your mother making you food when you're home and you're sick.  When you ask for it in Korea, people laugh because it's typically not high-end food. NAC:  We talked to Yul Kwon a few months ago about his eating experiences on "Survivor". What about you?  What did you eat?  What did you learn about food? LEE:  I'm not a very picky eater.  I always like to try food.  [As for "Survivor"]when you're that hungry, you don’t really care.  I knew we wouldn't have a lot of spices or flavorful food while I was there.And you obviously knew you were going to get to go home sometime!  We ate a lot of fish.  Before I went on the show, one of the things I did to prepare was learning how to gut a fish.  I'm not a big fan of coconut, but when I was out there, anytime I found food, I wanted to eat it.  It was less about taste and more about survival.  I love Wendys' bacon cheeseburgers.  Every night I would dream about trying to get one.  We all had food dreams.  My one dream was my bacon cheeseburger.  I thought that would be the first thing I wanted to eat when I left the island.  On my way home, I had a layover in California and I left the airport to go to Fatburger in Los Angeles.  I wanted my burger! And then we went back to the airport. NAC:  We understand you started a charity for battered women when you returned home? LEE:  Yes, I took my third-place winnings and started a non-profit, called Becky's Fund.  I work in policy as an advocate and an attorney. Becky's Fund helps women who are victims of domestic violence.  These women are scared for their lives, their children's lives. A lot of these women don't have legal access because they don’t have money.  They risk being homeless so that they don't get hit anymore.  I became an attorney because I really wanted to be able to advocate for these women.  I knew after the show that there would be a lot of media coverage, and people would ask what I'm up to now.  I thought it would be a great way to bring awareness to this cause. NAC:  Doesn't Becky's Fund provide a lot of services for immigrant women? LEE:  It's not always easy for women who come from a patriarchal culture, where you do what your father or your husband says.  I saw a gap here, that a lot of organizations weren't able to help immigrant women with language and cultural needs.  I think that a lot of women that suffer don't think that people support them.  A big issue I'm trying to focus on with Becky's Fund is prevention education. A lot of times, people wait until someone is in the hospital to think there's an issue with domestic violence. I think we can prevent a lot of the violence that is happening. One way to do that is to talk about it openly. For more information, including a schedule of Lee's tour dates or to donate funds, visit www.beckysfund.org