Throughout Necessary Roughness, food is used as a motif, cropping up frequently as a representation of culture and a means of connecting people, acting as an antidote to the stress of Navigating Cultural Difference. The Kims always eat dinner as a family, and once Chan joins the football team, he sits with the team at lunch. Mrs. Knutson shares her kitchen with the Kims, which could be a recipe for resentment, but both she and O-Ma jump into the setup with enthusiasm. O-Ma sees it as an opportunity to learn how to cook more American food, an attitude that indicates her open-minded views on cultural hybridity as opposed to Abogee’s more rigid adherence to Korean tradition. Mrs. Knutson, for her part, is excited to collaborate with O-Ma on Korean dishes and makes lunch for the family every morning as well. Food is Mrs. Knutson’s way of getting to know her tenants better, and her inclusion at their dinner table fosters a strong relationship—by the end of the novel, Mrs. Knutson reveals that, over the countless nights they’ve spent at the dinner table, she’s even picked up some Korean.

Food is also used as a humorous way to demonstrate the ridiculousness of stereotypes.