Cook, clean, and be pretty

By James Pearson, Raphael Rashid

With the rush and stress of Chuseok neatly out the way, many a Korean housewife will once again be bracing themselves for the so-called “myeongjeol (public holiday) stress” associated with the routine cooking and prepping required for the lunar new year holiday in February. Traditionally an unspoken role of Korean women in households all across the country, it’s becoming a ritual no longer practiced solely by the locals.

Natasha (not her real name) is 29-year-old,