Through the Fog: Ed Pokropski & Kathy Kim

From stinky cabbage dishes and ceiling fan trauma, to Mr. Rogers and parenthood, friends (and puppeteering colleagues! Ed Pokropski and Kathy Kim sit down for a chat on navigating through topics which often go unspoken, like adoption and loss, and the relationships that are borne out of the trust to ask and receive questions with our loved ones. Though the pair share much in common—Korean Americans puppeteering children’s television are few and far between!—they paint a candid picture of how they’ve learned to hold conversations about the unique, and at times confusing, experiences they’ve gone through; as Kathy tells us, “Not talking about it doesn’t take it away!”

For Ed, this has taken the form of equipping himself with the tools to handle those “awkward questions” which arise in his comedy show, sharing his adoption story while taking care not to indict any question as right or wrong, but rather as a moment to illustrate that there seems to be commonalities in what non-adoptees want to understand about his experience as a transracial adoptee. As a survivor of breast cancer, Kathy describes wading through awkward interactions of a different kind, though she notes how in her experience, questions asked with the subject’s wellbeing in mind can be a relief from the choreography of pleasantries. Together, they ask each other (and themselves!) questions that might elucidate the other’s experience: Is it helpful or condescending to explain cultural concepts in the flow of conversation? How has the trendiness of all things Korean shaped the ability to grow and lean into the culture? Does Ed prefer kimchi or sauerkraut?

Special thanks to the Thomas and Wonsook Foundation for their generous support in making this project possible.