by Soomi Rho
If Gramps lives in Los Angeles Koreatown, it’s likely he frequents a bench outside McDonald’s on the bustling corner of 7th and Western. Or rather, he did—until the fast-food franchise recently took that bench away. Why take away an old man’s chair?
“The city was requiring more parking spaces so that’s why we removed it,” explained Paola Gianacpulos, the site’s manager.
During its zenith of popularity, Korean elders would gather at the bench to eat, drink, converse, play games—and of course, bust each other’s chops. It wasn’t always an idyllic scene. Fights, chain-smoking and gambling flourished. According to witnesses, it was quite the raucous crowd. Yet even with the bench now gone, Korean elders still venture there like moths to a flame. They just don’t have a place to actually sit.
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Recently, KoreAm visited McDonald’s to ask how they felt about the now-defunct seats. Here’s what they had to say:
“There were all kinds of people who used to sit at the bench: people who drank, who played chan-gi (Korean board game) while gambling. People were always fighting at the bench. There was one particular troublemaker who would dress up like a gangster and behave inappropriately. This place isn’t some sort of fighting room; it’s a place to drink coffee.”
—Mr. Rhee
“Now that the bench is gone, elderly people, especially those that don’t have cars, are having a hard time. They don’t have anywhere to go. Many of them would come here because they could not go far. Now, the McDonald’s is not as lively as it was before. We need a place for the elderly people to hang out. We’re in Koreatown, so Korean people have a right to ask for such things.”
—Shin Han Chul
“Now that the bench is gone, the situation is very uncomfortable. Of course, the people at McDonald’s won’t provide another bench. They’re not Korean.”
—Steve Yang
“It’s very good that the bench is gone. When it was still here, there would always be drinking and fighting. It was very noisy. The police would often come. Since, they’ve planted some trees in its place. That was a better choice.”
—Steve Lee
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“It’s a good thing they took the bench away. It created a bad image for the Korean community. The problem now is that there are no more spots. Just like how young people need a place to hang out, elders also need a place to gather and socialize.”
—Yoo Chul Hee
“Usually, there’d be 10 to 15 people at the bench. They were a bit messy.”
—Jung Sook
“The bench people now meet at the back of the McDonald’s building, and there are cigarette butts everywhere. But the people clean after they’re done, so there’s not much to worry about. For now.”
—Kim Heng Yoon
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