Michelle Zauner, lead singer for the band Japanese Breakfast and author of The New York Times‘ bestselling memoir “Crying in H Mart”, made an appearance on today’s episode of Good Morning America to talk about her life, her family, and her inspiration for the book.

Midway through the segment, Zauner discusses the way in which Elkins Park’s H Mart served as a coping mechanism after the passing of her mother in 2014.

“I think I wanted to go there around the holidays because it felt like the closest I could sort of be near her, subconsciously, to just hear women that kind of dressed like her or spoke like her, eating the things that we used to eat together,” Zauner told GMA. “And I found myself going to this grocery store more and more to unlock these different memories of my mother.”

The book was an expansion of an essay Zauner published in The New Yorker in 2018.

Courtesy of Penguin Random House

Now at 55 weeks on the NYT’s bestseller list, “Crying in H Mart” is also being adapted as a feature film. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, MGM’s Orion Pictures acquired the rights to the film adaptation, which will be produced by Stacey Sher and Jason Kim, with Japanese Breakfast providing the film’s soundtrack.

“It is a surreal thrill to have the opportunity to memorialize my mother in film, and I consider it of the highest honor to pursue that task alongside creative luminaries such as Stacey Sher, Jason Kim and Orion Pictures,” Zauner said in a statement.

In 2021, Zaunder gave mention to Cheltenham’s Chung Dam Spa in article by Cup of Jo:

Before the pandemic, I would regularly go to a Korean spa, where a bath lady will scrub you down and remove all the dead skin from your body. There’s a place called Chung Dam Spa, in Cheltenham, outside Philly, that I used to frequent. Once it’s safe, I’ll go there and have my skin removed. It’s intense, but I grew up going to Korean spas, so I’m used to it. I love when they wash your hair — it’s like a holy experience.

In 2022, Zauner was named to TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list.

Check out GMA’s video segment:

For Good Morning America’s article featuring Zauner, you can click here. To purchase a copy of her book, you can click here.

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Screengrab courtesy of Good Morning America