Monday, November 22, 2010

Hangugin hegemony

I had an interesting dinner at Maggiano's in Tysons II with my buddy Mike. A Korean couple ended up seated next to us partway through our meal, and plenty of Koreans were strolling through the mall. Earlier in the day, I found myself at a local Costco and at an Ikea branch, and there were many Koreans in evidence at those places as well.

As a half-and-half, I often find myself switching between Korean mode and Amurrican mode, but during those moments when I realize just how ubiquitous the Korean population in northern Virginia is, I'm not quite sure what mode I'm in. Part of me cackles like the cockroach-professor from "Monsters versus Aliens": "Soon we'll be everywhere!"* Another part of me yelps, like Private Hudson in "Aliens": "They're comin' outta the goddamn walls!"

Whenever I read population stats about the Korean presence in America, I'm always surprised at how small those overall figures are. Maybe it's because I'm sensitized to Korean auras, but it often seems to me that those stats have been low-balled. Everywhere I look-- and much like Haley Joel Osment-- I see Korean people.



*Not a quote from the film, but something I can imagine Dr. Cockroach saying.


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4 comments:

Nathan B. said...

I also see Korean people everywhere I look, Kevin, and I'm not just talking about my wife and son! I think there's been a *huge* wave of Korean immigration here in the last five or six years, and the census numbers have yet to catch up.

As for what I think of "them," I think there's no better group of people anywhere I'd rather live among.

Charles said...

It's funny you should mention this now, because I see Koreans everywhere I go. It's starting to get a little creepy, actually.

Sean said...

Funnily I was at a little Turkey Kebob place right at Ewha subway exit yesterday and I was thinking that it was the waegookin invasion. The place was crawling with them, from the owner/cook to the cutomers there was narry a Korean in sight.

Kevin Kim said...

I sometimes wonder whether the Korean government under-counts its foreigners as well. It goes without saying that, no matter the country, the illegals are always hard to count. But who knows who's legal and who's not, right? That's part of the fun!