RED Friday: Psychological Body Horror, Jjajangmyeon, and Eyeball Jello Shots

October is the season when the air gets a little colder, the nights a little longer, and our book club picks a little... creepier. Honestly, this might be my favorite week of the year. At RED, we never settle for just a good read—our gatherings are about bringing stories to life through food, drink, and conversation.

Read: The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

This week’s pick is Monika Kim’s The Eyes Are the Best Part—a psychological body horror novel that does exactly what the genre promises: it gets under your skin and lingers there. Kim weaves a story that’s tense, strange, and totally addictive. Ji-Won, the protagonist, navigates her Korean-American family’s shifting dynamics while the book’s unsettling motifs keep you wide awake at night (and possibly checking the mirror a little too often).

You can check it out here on Goodreads.

Favorite quote: “How do I explain to her that the home I miss isn’t a place? It’s a time when my life made sense. When things made sense.”

Eat: Jjajangmyeon (Noodles with Black Bean Sauce)

What’s a RED gathering without food that ties straight into the book? This week, we’re making Jjajangmyeon—noodles in a rich black bean sauce. It’s a dish that perfectly blends Ji-Won’s Korean heritage with George’s very American obsession with Chinese takeout (and, let’s be real, Asian women).

A little history: Jjajangmyeon actually originated with Chinese immigrants in Korea, who adapted their homeland’s zhajiangmian to local tastes. The result? Chewy noodles coated in a glossy, umami-packed sauce with pork and vegetables. It’s cozy, messy, and perfect for a night of sharing stories.

Ready to cook? Here’s the recipe from Maangchi.

Drink: Eyeball Jello Shots

No October book club is complete without something a little ghoulish. Enter: Eyeball Jello Shots. Blueberries and blue food coloring transform these into edible, eerie blue eyeballs—just like the ones that haunt the pages of The Eyes Are the Best Part. They’re sweet, a little creepy, and an absolute showstopper on the snack table.

Want to make your own? Grab the classic blue eyeball jello shot recipe here.

Or, if you want to go all-in on the bloody horror theme, check out this alternative recipe for red Jello shots with floating eyeballs. These up the gore factor and are guaranteed to make your book club shiver (and maybe laugh). Find the bloody version here.

Happy Reading, Eating, and Drinking!

Nothing bonds a book club like a good scare, a great meal, and a round of drinks that look back at you. This is what RED is all about—taking stories off the page and making them part of our shared experience.

Book Club Conversation Starters

1. What moment in The Eyes Are the Best Part made you most uncomfortable—and why?

2. How do Ji-Won’s family dynamics shape her sense of self, and how does food and eating play into that?

3. Body horror is more than just gore—what psychological fears did the novel tap into for you?

4. George’s obsession with Asian food and women is a recurring theme. How does the book critique or play with this?

5. If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, would it be jjajangmyeon? What would your comfort food reveal about you?

   
   

Let your conversations wander into the weird, the funny, and the thoughtful. After all, the best part of RED isn’t just the book—it’s what happens when we come together.