Comments on: Kimchi vs. Ahchar. Fight!

By: TypeKing

TypeKing — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:13:51 +0000

Korea Town is always known as Business and Entertainments. This is major reason Koreatown has no boundary. Koreatown will expand as Koreans make money and do business. Even Koreatown is multicultural environment it will always be Koreatown because majority of Business owners are Koreans.

By: SSK

SSK — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:48:21 +0000

I don’t think that Bangladeshis run all the food joints in Toronto. Most of the well known food and grocery places are run by Indian Aga Khanis from Africa.

But, my favourite pasta chef in Toronto is Bangladeshi: http://www.flickr.com/photos/astuteobserver/429050466/

By: akak

akak — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 03:45:05 +0000

I live in the area, and while the Bangladeshi community has clearly swollen in the last five years, there is no way that you could call the area from “Third Street to Wilshire Boulevard and Vermont Avenue to Western Avenue as “Little Bangladesh.” — they should have been more realistice and asked for a bangladesh street or alley designation for the stretch on Third from Vermont to Western. There are about 7 bangladeshi eateries in those 15 blocks. but it’s not like Jackson Heights or Artesia, where there are stores selling clothes and other back-home goodies. Though I have heard there is a makeshift mosque.

By: Amita

Amita — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:25:04 +0000

Korean BBQ Dosa truck anyone??!!

(yes, i realize dosa is south indian. still.)

By: Upbhransh

Upbhransh — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:02:06 +0000

This is kinda ironic because just a few years ago, the Koreans(i think) in Cerritos area organized a huge rally. The objective of the rally, to oppose the naming of a particular section of cerritos as little India. Their argument, there are people of a lot of other cultures around there too. I am not sure what was the outcome in the end, were they able to name it Little India in the end?

By: portmanteau

portmanteau — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:33:16 +0000

I do not think the government should be acceding to any group claiming any area as Little Whatever. Endorsing a particular area as a preserve of a certain community seems discriminatory to me. Formal recognition as Koreatown or Little Bangladesh sets a precedent, which city governments can only follow in an arbitrary manner. When is an area Little X? When 7/10 businesses have an X connection? Can X only be a nation or ethnicity? Can it be a lifestyle? Tamiltown? Little Gay-sia (where gay-asians congregate)? Gothtown?

I am not against government-sponsored immigrant friendly services (bilingual education; legal aid and health care tailored to immigrant communities); it is completely legitimate to provide services in a form that taxpayers can utilize. The naming of a particular area should be limited to informal usage among citizens. Private citizens can call the area by its popular name, but government cannot be partial in this manner. Government documents or tourist guides might use neutral language like: The area around Smith Park, popularly known as Little Z, is an area with several restaurants and business run by people of Z origin.

By: Ravi the Lurker

Ravi the Lurker — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:28:42 +0000

I’ve spent a lot of time in K-town, and only really see other Desis near the border between K-town and the Latin-Byzantine quarter. Apparently I’ve overlooked a section.

By: Nayagan

Nayagan — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:11:06 +0000

Rob,

don't worry, some day you'll get to say, "Though, personally, I kinda would like the Hindus to win this fight."

By: DizzyDesi

DizzyDesi — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:59:04 +0000

I know of neighborhoods that have been reffered to as Little Indias.E.g. Flushing/ Oak Tree Rd/ Jackson Heights/Newark Ave/ Devon Street/etc.

The only other “Little subcontinental country” I have heard of is Little Pakistan (somewhere in Brooklyn). But I do not know if it is commonly used — I have almost exclusively heard Little Pakistan associated with terror/ GWOT or terms that are even more derogatory. Places with large Bangladeshi/ Pakistani Populations are unfortunately usually termed as little India.

I have never heard of a little Bangladesh, Little Lanka,. Little Bhutan, Little Maldives, Little Afghanistan. , etc Nor apparently, has Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_named_ethnic_enclaves_in_North_American_cities Are there really neighborhood of “little other Subcontinental countries? or is this a case of Me too…

If there are no little Bangladesh’s anywhere, why will anyone care about renaming Korea town as little Bangladesh?

By: ensure

ensure — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:44:41 +0000

I like zee’s suggestion of re-naming (more like dubbing) roads with historical figures. Works well on Chicago’s Devon Ave which has a stretch of road devoted to the Jewish community and another stretch devoted to the Indian/Pakistani communities.