Comments on: little tokyo galleria market opens

By: Logic

Logic — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:48:12 +0000

If you want Japanese food from Japanese, then ask your Japanese friends to open more Japanese shops. Unfortunately, most Japanese are broke. Look at the Japan. It’s been in the recession forever. Just be thankful that the Korean with money is opening up Japanese shops to celebrate your culture before it fades away.

By: angkasuwan

angkasuwan — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:01:12 +0000

fun place to grocery shop. great prices too.

By: Edward

Edward — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:06:11 +0000

Smiley. Get yourself some milk and cookies, grab a chair and read my blog entry about Korean and Japanese food.

It might cheer you up.

http://wangkon936.xanga.com/621757090/japanese-galbi-korean-sushi-and-the-globalization-of-food-culture/

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:27:38 +0000

Hi Edward, It’s Mr. Smiley.. glad to hear from a Korean on this issue. I say this to Korean friends, and most of them half-assly (sp?) agree, abeit with a “so what, you guys raped us”. But they know.. that there’s a ton of these “designer” sushi joints popping up like crazy, mostly Korean owned. And you can debate all you want, but the sushi is highly americanized crappy, decorated, “fusion” sushi that isn’t even sushi. “Fried spicy Colorado tuna rolls” isn’t sushi. They cater to people who’d rather drink Lipton mango green tea over genma-cha. That’s fine, but market it as so. John Kim’s Cali Style Sushi.. instead of Sushi Sen.. or whatever.

I’m just pissed cause I took my date (who’s Korean ironically) to a place I spotted and was like.. we gotta go here, it’s right by me.. and we went in, and I started getting this funny feeling.. my date looked and me and started laughing, cause she knew what I was thinking. She asked in a smart ass tone.. so do you want to leave?? I just said, fine, we’ll stay. All I gotta ask is.. why must you gouze with sauce?? That is just wrong!! White people love “sauces”. That’s not no stereotype.. just like they got to put shoyu (soy sauce) on rice. They need ‘flavor’ for everything, which is why you never see straight up green tea. It’s always flavored. Sushi was meant to be— fish. rice. wasabi.

Ok I’m done ranting. I love Kim chee.

By: Edward

Edward — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:41:27 +0000

Mr. Smiley I think you need to chill a little bit. I went to a French restaurant once and the waiter faked a French accent. I knew it was fake but it didn’t bother me. Although I don’t know if that would bother any native French person in Los Angeles. Maybe we should rename “spaghetti” to “noodles in tomato sauce”? Maybe rename AMERICAN OWNED Outback Steakhouse to “Tampa Florida Steakhouse”?

Also, as a Korean, I’m not bothered by the fact that the Japanese have appropriated Korean bbq into “yakiniku.” Most Japanese don’t like to admit that yakiniku originated from Koreans. I went to a yakiniku place in Fountain Valley called Tsuruhashi. I asked the owner if he’s a Zanichi (a Korean-Japanese) and he said that yakiniku is in no way affiliated with Korean bbq (but how does one explain away distinct Korean dishes like kimchi, chapjae and pahjon in the menu?). However, I thought that was kind of ironic given that Tsuruhashi is the district in Osaka known for being Osaka’s Koreatown and known for it’s distinctive Korean bbq.

http://japan-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/tsuruhashi_is_koreatown

Someone (not going to name names Mr. Smiley) is a tad too ethnically self conscious.

By: :)

:) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:09:33 +0000

They can do whatever they want—open a sushi joint, supermarket in Little “Tokyo”.. just please label it as so. Name it Kim Sushi.. I don’t care. But giving it a Japanese name is weak. I’ll just be blunt and as un-PC as possible. They know white’s don’t know the difference or care. They’re trying to pass as Japanese. I seen some try to mimic Japanese accents.. like the “ehhh”. I gave them a weird stare-being Japanese which I’m not sure they realized but I’m sure once they saw my credit card and last name they must.

Unfortunately we’re pretty small in size and population so can’t do much.. but I can tell ya.. despite pretending to not care because it’s deemed racist and makes us seem childish.. everyone I know.. when walking into a restaurant we’re trying for the first time, feeling the suspicion this place is owned by Koreans.. to hear the distinctive Koreanglish from the hostess.. we just look at each other knowing we been tricked. And we’re in for some bad sushi.

That’s the part that gets me.. feeling tricked or conned into coming here by their distinctively Japanese signage. Or giving it a Japanese sounding name. I feel like whites who don’t know are really getting conned too, but ironically they like it anyway.

Cultural rapage is always a thing only felt by the culture itself. If a Guatemalan passes off as Mexican, I don’t really care. But I’m not Mexican, or any hispanic race, so I can’t relate or care or feel it. But I can say.. I can see WHY you feel that way.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:52:00 +0000

Hello, anyone know if they have sushi-grade fish? we only went to mitsuwa for fish, and now that they’ve closed, we’ve gained like 10 lbs eating chicken and beef. we need our fish fix…!!!!

By: Bert Green

Bert Green — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:00:19 +0000

Oh, and “privileged whiteness?” Maybe YOU need to quit with the racism. Just quit.

By: Bert Green

Bert Green — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:34:56 +0000

You misunderstood me too. Where in my post did I say price does not matter?

By: Malayala

Malayala — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:33:22 +0000

ALSO Bert Green with your privileged whiteness to bear: please don’t assume that “PRICE” does not matter (as in comment 8). ITE ITE ITE (It’s the Economia) - hello? Second world here we come!