This resonates so heavily with me because as a Korean American woman in her 30s I often had a hard time articulating the lonely feeling of people loving your cultural food and items and art but somehow almost objectifying me. & also sometimes I feel reduced to an aesthetic or people often perceive or assume I must be a certain way or like certain things because I am Korean. ♥️
People often forget that what we easily deify and put on a pedestal comes with a lot of chaos. & I am happy people are enjoying some of our cultural items and customs ♥️ that part is also nice to see. It’s a back and forth dance.
I love this homage to your culture, Arden. Next time I'm in New York, I'll try to give some of the authentic spots you've mentioned a visit. I remember trying Take31 last year, which was delicious, but I don't think it was in Koreatown.
It's interesting reading about the Korea wave as a South Asian because when I was in school, the closest Asian representation and cultural similarities I had to look at was Chinese culture. And then it was Korean when it was more popularized when I was in college. I feel like a lot of us Asians are still sitting on the sidelines and wondering, "When will my culture peak?" And like you said, with that also comes the fear of eventually being disposed as a trend.
re: Hallyu - i dont think anyone that grew up then associates it w/ the 90s or the edict. It couldnt have happened without Endless Love dramas/ SMTown in the early 2000s/early aughts and then broadband which enabled the proliferation of media (in communities on xanga/soompi)
my mom and i talk about this all the time, how the world used to not know key differences between north and south korea and now friendly/curious people love to say simple things in korean. love the way you talk about your experiences too!
you so well encapsulated the very complicated relationship many kamericans have with this rise of korean popularity.
my neighborhood jeweler (im in nyc) was fixing a watch of mine, and told me him and his daughter were learning korean because she likes bts. he said he was from egypt, and i thought that was a pretty cool instance of cultural exchange. he even said goodbye to me on the way out in korean. coming from the midwest where no koreans really resided in the early 2000s, that was such a mind fuck in a positive way hahaha. better than being called a slur i guess?????
Merry Christmas, Arden! It's crazy to see how widespread Korean culture has become over the years. My friend in middle school played me an EXO song and I was like this bangs but who are these guys? I got into K-pop during the pandemic like many people and it was and still is absolutely fascinating and nauseating to see how strange people get about it. Reading this, I couldn't stop thinking about those white women vloggers, usually from the US and Canada, who move to Korea, start dating someone, and immediately all their YouTube video names start "My Korean boyfriend and I _____" or "_____ with my Korean boyfriend." These women are watched by (usually) young women into Korean culture, whether it be the music or film/TV, and having a Korean boyfriend becomes some sort of a status symbol, completely erasing the personhood of their partner, and they become just a trophy to be won over. Someone smarter than me has definitely written extensively about this.
Honestly, I miss when I would go to K-town ten years ago and all the restaurants were filled with Asians... now I feel like very few establishments have Korean staff, and it's impossible to get a room at noraebang, no matter what day of the week! Olle has become my go-to restaurant, I've never seen a non-Asian person there, perhaps because they don't have bibimbap and the food is not catered to American palettes.
I never thought Korean culture would be fetishized. Now I miss when people didn't know about Korean food at all. Thanks for this, I relate to it so much.
as a korean immigrant living in new york, i always tell my friends that i can never feel truly satisfied eating korean food here. because with every bite i eat here, i’m imagining eating the same food back in korea, and for a lower price. doesn’t help that i can’t cook, either.
while i’m glad korean food is now more accessible than ever, i can’t help but cringe whenever i see new restaurants like Kisa pop up every other day offering “authentic” experiences for $30-$50 per person. it’s weird; i’m expected feel proud that koreans are finally gaining recognition, but recognition from who? white people? even then, sometimes it feels more like a step towards cultural assimilation rather than cultural diversity. i don’t know.
i obviously have a lot of thoughts still unresolved lol, but reading your piece made me realize i wasn’t the only one struggling to find my place within this new hallyu wave. thank you for your writing!
This resonates so heavily with me because as a Korean American woman in her 30s I often had a hard time articulating the lonely feeling of people loving your cultural food and items and art but somehow almost objectifying me. & also sometimes I feel reduced to an aesthetic or people often perceive or assume I must be a certain way or like certain things because I am Korean. ♥️
People often forget that what we easily deify and put on a pedestal comes with a lot of chaos. & I am happy people are enjoying some of our cultural items and customs ♥️ that part is also nice to see. It’s a back and forth dance.
Thank you Rebecca ❤️❤️ perfectly articulated
so good and so real. it’s crazy to think about how much of the attitudes around korea has changed in so little time.
It’s mind blowing
I love this homage to your culture, Arden. Next time I'm in New York, I'll try to give some of the authentic spots you've mentioned a visit. I remember trying Take31 last year, which was delicious, but I don't think it was in Koreatown.
It's interesting reading about the Korea wave as a South Asian because when I was in school, the closest Asian representation and cultural similarities I had to look at was Chinese culture. And then it was Korean when it was more popularized when I was in college. I feel like a lot of us Asians are still sitting on the sidelines and wondering, "When will my culture peak?" And like you said, with that also comes the fear of eventually being disposed as a trend.
Totally agree. Thank you for reading Aliena!
re: Hallyu - i dont think anyone that grew up then associates it w/ the 90s or the edict. It couldnt have happened without Endless Love dramas/ SMTown in the early 2000s/early aughts and then broadband which enabled the proliferation of media (in communities on xanga/soompi)
my mom and i talk about this all the time, how the world used to not know key differences between north and south korea and now friendly/curious people love to say simple things in korean. love the way you talk about your experiences too!
Exactly!!! Thank youu🩷
you so well encapsulated the very complicated relationship many kamericans have with this rise of korean popularity.
my neighborhood jeweler (im in nyc) was fixing a watch of mine, and told me him and his daughter were learning korean because she likes bts. he said he was from egypt, and i thought that was a pretty cool instance of cultural exchange. he even said goodbye to me on the way out in korean. coming from the midwest where no koreans really resided in the early 2000s, that was such a mind fuck in a positive way hahaha. better than being called a slur i guess?????
also ktown on 32nd street scares me except woorijip stays holy grail status
Thank you!!! And I need to try
another banger
😘😘😘
Merry Christmas, Arden! It's crazy to see how widespread Korean culture has become over the years. My friend in middle school played me an EXO song and I was like this bangs but who are these guys? I got into K-pop during the pandemic like many people and it was and still is absolutely fascinating and nauseating to see how strange people get about it. Reading this, I couldn't stop thinking about those white women vloggers, usually from the US and Canada, who move to Korea, start dating someone, and immediately all their YouTube video names start "My Korean boyfriend and I _____" or "_____ with my Korean boyfriend." These women are watched by (usually) young women into Korean culture, whether it be the music or film/TV, and having a Korean boyfriend becomes some sort of a status symbol, completely erasing the personhood of their partner, and they become just a trophy to be won over. Someone smarter than me has definitely written extensively about this.
Merry Christmas Erin!
It's soooo weird
you described my life so so perfectly
Twin
Honestly, I miss when I would go to K-town ten years ago and all the restaurants were filled with Asians... now I feel like very few establishments have Korean staff, and it's impossible to get a room at noraebang, no matter what day of the week! Olle has become my go-to restaurant, I've never seen a non-Asian person there, perhaps because they don't have bibimbap and the food is not catered to American palettes.
I never thought Korean culture would be fetishized. Now I miss when people didn't know about Korean food at all. Thanks for this, I relate to it so much.
I’ve never been to either! But my brother went to Olle for dinner this week and said it was great
Beautiful, merry Christmas Arden!
Merry Christmas Emily!!
as a korean immigrant living in new york, i always tell my friends that i can never feel truly satisfied eating korean food here. because with every bite i eat here, i’m imagining eating the same food back in korea, and for a lower price. doesn’t help that i can’t cook, either.
while i’m glad korean food is now more accessible than ever, i can’t help but cringe whenever i see new restaurants like Kisa pop up every other day offering “authentic” experiences for $30-$50 per person. it’s weird; i’m expected feel proud that koreans are finally gaining recognition, but recognition from who? white people? even then, sometimes it feels more like a step towards cultural assimilation rather than cultural diversity. i don’t know.
i obviously have a lot of thoughts still unresolved lol, but reading your piece made me realize i wasn’t the only one struggling to find my place within this new hallyu wave. thank you for your writing!
Gorgeous piece, I relate to sooo much of what you said here!