Meet to Bridge ‘Invisible Gap’ : Koreans Treat Anglos to Lunch

After months of tension between some members of the Korean-American and Anglo communities in Garden Grove, several hundred people from both sides gathered Saturday to share lunch and discuss misunderstandings.

About 100 Anglos joined several hundred Korean-Americans at a fellowship luncheon for senior citizens at the Dae Ha Meeting Center in Garden Grove.

The ethnic banquet, sponsored by Korean-American businessmen and community organizations, was an attempt to bridge a “communications gap” between Anglos and Korean-Americans, said H. Andrew Kim, a vice president of the Korean-American Assn. of Orange County.

“There has been virtually no communication between older white folks on one side and older Korean-Americans on the other. We seem to have an invisible gap so we decided to hold this ethnic banquet,” Kim said.

Church Incident

Community leaders say anti-Korean sentiment has been high for months since a Korean-American pastor sought permission to build a new church in the 11700 block of Lampson Avenue in a predominantly Anglo neighborhood.

The church bought the land with the understanding that the area and zoning were compatible with a church. After residents complained, the city Planning Commission rejected the project, and the City Council voted 3 to 2 against the church’s appeal in September.

The day after the church’s appeal was rejected, Kim said he had witnessed and experienced “a great deal of bigotry. . . . Last night was no exception.”

“The primary reason why we’re holding the luncheon is that there is some misunderstanding between the white community and the Korean. Business and community leaders wanted to bridge the gap and they thought this is one area in which they could bridge that gap,” Kim said.

“At least, they can taste some of our Korean food and hopefully realize it’s not all smelly as some people think.”

Despite dozens of Korean restaurants, barbecues and grocery stores on Garden Grove Boulevard in Koreatown, less than 1% of the city’s population is of Korean ancestry.

Many Businesses

City officials said hundreds of Korean-owned businesses have sprouted since 1980 in the area. Their visibility angered many Anglo residents, some of whom launched an unsuccessful drive for English-only business signs. But city officials noted that a recent study found that Anglo-owned businesses remain a majority in the Koreatown area.

On a personal note, Kim related a story about the time he brought Korean food to the office of a major oil company where he worked years ago.

“The dishes included kimchi, which is spicy,” he said. “Well, I brought it into the office and one supervisor smelled it and without even looking at it turned away and caused an office incident. I was socially ostracized after that. But today, Americans have become sushi lovers.

“The ethnic banquet is just our way of trying to give the American folks a second dimension. They always want to understand us only in one dimension,” he said.