New Law Is a Nod to Korean Tradition

The proprietress of Seoul Bakery in Koreatown couldn’t be more pleased.

“What an honor it is to have the governor of California come to our little rice cake shop and sign this historic legislation,” said Young-Hee Lee, resplendent in a gold-colored Korean traditional garment--hanbok--instead of her usual work clothes.

Gov. Gray Davis, surrounded by state officials and Koreatown leaders, chose Lee’s business on Olympic Boulevard on Friday as the backdrop to sign Assembly Bill 187, which permits Korean rice cake makers to sell the ancient Korean delicacy at room temperature.

Koreans have enjoyed rice cakes at room temperature for 2,000 years, the governor said, adding that the statute represents a victory of right over wrong and common sense over bureaucracy.

“Eating refrigerated rice cake is like biting into a hockey puck,” Davis told nearly 100 people gathered in the parking lot of a mini-mall to celebrate the occasion under a sizzling sun.

Inside Lee’s tiny shop, mounds of bite-size rice cakes, stuffed with crushed beans and seasoned with sugar, sesame seeds and oil, beckoned guests.

“I wouldn’t trade Korean rice cakes for all the [Western] pastries in Los Angeles,” said the Rev. Don Lee, pastor of the Shining Church. To a Korean, life without rice cakes is life incomplete, he said.

The Presbyterian minister said a deeper meaning of the law is that the state government is considering the diverse heritages of its people.

“The Korean community has grown to be able to persuade the Legislature to do what it is,” he said. “For that I am proud.”

Earlier this year, Los Angeles County health officials said that Korean rice cake makers could not sell their products without refrigerating them, contending that the water content of the rice cakes could lead to the growth of bacteria.

The new statute, sponsored by Carol Liu (D-La Canada Flintridge), requires shops to post the date of preparation and make sure that their products are sold within 24 hours.

“America is a remarkable country,” said Seoul bakery owner Lee. “It allows even first-generation immigrants like us to participate in the process.”