As a Bay Area resident, I hadn’t experienced the glorious wonder that is H Mart until this past year while visiting some SoCal relatives. Growing up in the Midwest, we had only one variety of Korean grocery store: janky. H Mart is in a whole different league. I’m not a religious person, but I imagine that it is what heaven looks like. Particularly their deli with ready-to-go hot food items that mysteriously get eaten up during the car ride home.
I know, all you Southern Californians and East Coasters are thinking, “Pssh. It’s just H Mart. I’ve been going there forever.”
Well, excuse me for being late on extolling the supermarket chain’s virtues. But it’s pristine aisles and extensive product selection aren’t the only reason I’m a fan. According to NorthJersey.com, H Mart has been instrumental in encouraging New York and New Jersey Korean Americans in participating in the 2010 census.
“H Mart is one of our most outstanding partners,” said Lester Farthing, the New York regional director for the Census Bureau, at a press conference at the store, one of four the chain has in New Jersey. “When I go around the country and I talk about our partnerships, you’re the first and foremost in our minds.”
The census isn’t just another excuse for someone to bother you at home while you’re watching TV. We need accurate demographic counts to make sure that the needs of communities are addressed, particularly growing communities like the numerous Asian American ethnic groups in the U.S. And because Asian Americans are slapped with the dreaded Model Minority label, sometimes the U.S. thinks we’re all flush with money, flashing Ivy League degrees, and not in need of social services.
According to C.N. Le, the 2000 census listed 15.5% of Koreans as American living in poverty—the third highest percentage among APIs behind Cambodian, Hmong, and Laotians (listed as one group) and Pacific Islanders—yet only 1.6% reported utilizing public assistance. It could be that some Koreans were just hush hush on the matter but it’s also highly likely that some weren’t aware of the census and its significance in the first place.
So props, H Mart. for getting the word out to your customers and encouraging accurate counts for Korean Americans in this year’s census.
Also, thank you for making this particular Korean American salivate just at the mere mention of your name. I really hope you never got caught up in some Wal-Mart type of scandal, because I don’t know if my heart could take not visiting your store.
