텍사스한국일보 학생기자 리포트
Food follows people. With an increase in migration, ethnic foods have diffused at a rate never seen before; along with their delicious taste, these foods have also brought along with them the distinct traditions and values celebrated in their origins.
Of the several ethnic foods represented in the DFW area, Korean food is one of the most popular, with several businesses featuring Korean dishes such as galbi and kimchi.
The growing number of successful Korean restaurants in our community highlights the influence that Korean food has had on local culture.
Advertising a variety of the savory Korean foods, these restaurants showcase the appetizing quality of Korean food. But the most striking quality of these restaurants lies not in food but in its customers; the customer demographic of most of these restaurants consisted not of a Korean majority, but rather a large mix of local ethnicities.
These Korean restaurants cater to the melting pot of races and cultures that now represent the DFW area.
Asking customers which aspect of these Korean restaurants appealed to them most, several of them complimented the flavorful taste of Korean foods.
More importantly though, especially for customers of Korean BBQ restaurants, many customers commented on the unique social experience that these restaurants offered. Unlike traditional American restaurants in the area, several Korean BBQ locations emphasize the customers’ active role in cooking meat; instead of serving food fully prepared, these Korean BBQ restaurants allow customers to cook their meal.
In turn, this aspect of such restaurants grant customers with the unique social interaction of conversing while cooking—a dynamic usually foreign to local American restaurants.
The popularity of Korean cuisine is not only reflected in local restaurants, but also in food markets.
What used to be an industry dominated solely by American companies such as Walmart, the commercial food industry is now shared with a growing number of Korean companies.
Large multinational stores like Costco also demonstrate the surge in Korean food’s popularity through the Korean foods that these stores now sell; goods such as kimchi and bulgolgi are now sold as a common food item in several grocery stores in the area as well.
As more and more Koreans move into the area, the presence that Korean cuisine has in the community is forecasted to grow.
As small as it might seem, the expanding popularity of Korean food signifies a larger cultural shift in the community; this growth can be translated into a larger recognition of the Korean minority.
More than ever, Koreans are making a larger, tangible impact on American culture—from food to music, Koreans are the trailblazers, paving new opportunities for the next generation of Koreans to extend.
Plano West Sr. 하이스쿨12학년
