‘한국음식’으로 수렴하는 민족성ㆍ국가성의 재구성: 1960~2000년대 뉴욕시를 중심으로

Abstract

As immigrants leave their home countries to recreate familiar foods in a foreign land, their cuisine becomes intertwined with racial, ethnic, and national identities. Immigrants serve as cultural mediators, introducing new ingredients, recipes, and utensils, while exotic elements are reinterpreted and identify the immigrant community. In this context, the cuisine of ethnic minorities becomes entangled with the local gaze, as immigrants both reproduce their dishes out of nostalgia for the homeland and adapt them for commercial purposes. Furthermore, the home country anticipates the global export of food products, contributing to the broader dynamics of cultural exchange. This study was motivated to examine the localizing process of Korean food in the neighborhoods where Korean immigrants have operated food business in the metropolitan city, Manhattan, New York City, from the 1960s to the 2000s. Until South Korea sought to strengthen its soft power at the national level and implemented a top-down national policy of ‘Korean cuisine globalization’, there was a sentiment within South Korea that it was necessary to distinguish ‘Korean food’ that could be promoted as a national cuisines, mainly in developed countries. The Korean immigrants as entrepreneur or restaurateurs was obliged to become the medium between globalizing and localizing Korean cuisine in the foreign scene. Korean immigrants in food-related businesses represent ethnic or national complexity who must navigate challenges to survive, including developing business strategies, dealing with racial discrimination, expressing a desire for integration into the local community, interacting with their home country, and fostering community through solidarity among other Korean immigrants. First-generation immigrants often occupy a model minority position, commonly associated with Asians in the U.S. They maintain a sentiment of Korean identity while also confronting the limitations of their status, striving for the opportunity education and personal success, and adapting to the mainstream society. In addition, New York as a metropolitan hub and the American perspective on ethnic cuisine significantly influenced culinary and commercial practices. Korean immigrants who opened restaurants or grocery stores were entangled to the Asian-Oriental stereotype that had already been shaped by the Western gaze. While the first Korean restaurants in the New York area appeared as early as the 1960s, the restaurant experience was still a novel concept even for South Korea itself. It was not until the 1990s, when the number of Korean immigrants in the restaurant industry reached its peak, few restaurants began to emerge with a more localized approach, incorporating an external perspective. During this period, some Korean restaurateurs sought to articulate an aesthetics of local high-end dining establishments while also identifying distinctive Korean characteristics that would appeal to American consumers. Drawing on a literature review of articles, menu boards, cookbooks, and interviews with restaurateurs, food retailers, and food manufacturers, this study integrates findings from Korean immigration history research to explore the factors influencing the everyday hierarchy of food. Employing an ethnographic perspective, the study examine how these factors shape the culinary practices and perceptions surrounding Korean food product in immigrant communities.