Saturday, January 21, 2006

Koreatown

Palisades Park, NJ. This little suburban town was made famous by some song in the 60s. It was also famous for some amusement park, I think. It is now a glorious Koreatown. They even hired a Korean cop! These towns are so white bread that I don't think they even have black cops.





I've been trying to figure out the economics of why the huge influx of Koreans to this area. There was a huge Japanese influx some 30 years ago caused by the Japanese bubble economy and companies sending workers to New York and housing them in New Jersey. The high number of Taiwanese is because of immigration restrictions towards Taiwanese professionals lifted in the 60s.

So far, I haven't figured it out about the Koreans, except that maybe they're doing the same community economic support thing that they did in LA and other places, where the entire community pitches in and supports new Korean-owned business. I certainly don't mind. They know how to cut Asian hair, and they have fashion sense, which the Chinese emphatically don't.

iTunes shuffled soundtrack:
1. Cry for Everything Bad That's Ever Happened (Le Tigre)
2. The Wanton Song (Led Zeppelin)
3. You Can't Stop the Music (The Kinks)
4. Ma Ma Ma Belle (Electric Light Orchestra)
5. It's a Hard-Knock Life ("Annie")
6. Fortune Teller (live) (The Who)
7. Spock On (Miss Gloria) (The Pugs)
8. Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist (Genesis)
9. David Watts (The Kinks)
10. Kayleigh (Marillion)

1 comment:

keauxgeigh said...

when you're in new york next, you should try to make an excursion to Palisades Avenue. Or not. It's like a Korean strip mall. You should if you could get a recommendation on the food. I'm betting it's good.