226: Soju (with Dr. Hyunhee Park)

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We talk a lot about the ghost type of spirits on the show, but what about the liquor kind of spirits? We’re joined by Dr. Hyunhee Park to talk about the global history of the distinctive Korean drink: Soju. Hint: It all comes back to the Mongols. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Content Warning:</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">This episode contains conversations about or mentions of colonialism, conquest and war, disease/illness, and wealth disparity. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Guest</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hyunhee Park is an Associate Professor of History at the City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and CUNY Graduate Center and author of</span> <a href= "https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/soju/3EF7E42B451030430E966B2E0EF24B5C"> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Soju: A Global History</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. A native of South Korea, she received her BA in Asian and Western history at Seoul National University in 1997, her MA in East Asian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2003, and her Ph.D. in history at Yale University in 2008. She specializes in the history of cross-cultural contacts in East Asia, Islamic World, the Mongol Empire, and global intellectual history focusing on information/knowledge transfers including geographical knowledge, foodways, and distillation. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Housekeeping</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">Recommendation</span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">: This week, Julia recommends</span> <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/822/9780765379955"><em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">All the Birds in the Sky</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">by Charlie Jane Anders.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">Books</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">: Check out our previous book recommend