Need insight into Korean Community (Seattle, Tacoma: school, to live in, restaurants)

[bigbobbadoobob]

My wife and I may be moving to Richland. My wife is Korean and I'm trying to get some idea of the Korean community in the Tri-cities area. I'm interested in learning about: how 'tight' the community is, how easy it is to meet other Koreans, how to get Korean groceries, etc. I'll appreciate any feedback I may get.

[GameHog9]

There arent many Asians as far as Im aware of. Yes, I do believe there are Koreans, but a community? The only place in WA with a big tight knit community like that is Seattle.

[vette-dude]

Originally Posted by GameHog9

There arent many Asians as far as Im aware of. Yes, I do believe there are Koreans, but a community? The only place in WA with a big tight knit community like that is Seattle.

That's not actually true, Tacoma has a large community of Koreans; used to live in this city and love the korean food stores on South Tacoma Way.....

Also I'm aware of the Korean First Church on 805 Benham Street in
Richland, WA 99352 ...which is a good way to meet some of the locals also.. Hope this helps some...Good Luck in your relocation.....

[English-School-USA]

I don't know if your wife already speaks English, but our language school Embassy CES Seattle-Tacoma is quite popular amongst the Korean community in Seattle. Contact details are here: Embassy CES Seattle

[msb1167]

There is a great community of Koreans in the Tri-Cities area. Not a large population but a lot of amazing people. Korean Presbyterian Church is located at 950 Gage Blvd. Richland, WA and is a great place to start. There are a few local markets that carry Korean/Asian foods but most people go to Seattle or Federal way to stock up on groceries. There are also a lot of locally Korean owned businesses where you can meet other Korean Families.

[tcres]

There is also the:

First Korean Church
2410 W 4th Ave
Kennewick, Washington 99336
(509)582-6824

There have been three Korean churches posted in this thread so I would definitely say there is a decent Korean population here. We have a lot of Asian markets around town as well.

[nutleynut]

WHatever population you find will be very assimilated in the old American Immigrant tradition of "becoming American" by adopting everything American. And example? I'll put it to you this way, I was in a "Chinese" restaurant on GWW in 1998 and I could not get steamed vegetables.
It will be similar in all "Asian" food restaurants. I went to an "authentic Thai" restaurant and it was the same ole Americanized Asian cuisine. I'm gussing it's the local culture not being educated enough to accept differeing things,
I grew up there and they accept different people in most cases but culturally they tend to remain stagnant or change very slowly.
You'll like it to a point but don't expect culture like in a big city.
I just looked and you posted in September so you're probably there by now. Can you let us know how it's going? Did you move to Richland?

[tcres]

Originally Posted by nutleynut

WHatever population you find will be very assimilated in the old American Immigrant tradition of "becoming American" by adopting everything American. And example? I'll put it to you this way, I was in a "Chinese" restaurant on GWW in 1998 and I could not get steamed vegetables.
It will be similar in all "Asian" food restaurants. I went to an "authentic Thai" restaurant and it was the same ole Americanized Asian cuisine. I'm gussing it's the local culture not being educated enough to accept differeing things,
I grew up there and they accept different people in most cases but culturally they tend to remain stagnant or change very slowly.
You'll like it to a point but don't expect culture like in a big city.
I just looked and you posted in September so you're probably there by now. Can you let us know how it's going? Did you move to Richland?

Is your entire post based on experiences at asian restaurants? lol

If you own a business you cater to the demands of the public. It doesn't necessarily reflect your culture.

[bigbobbadoobob]

I don't think it's a matter of adopting everything American, but a practical matter of selling food. Here, the tri-cities lacks the Korean population base to allow a restaurant to go 100% Korean. So, instead you can expect a restaurant that has a fusion of asian foods, in an effort to meet the taste of the current population. In Calgary, for example, there's a much larger base to draw from and you'll find pretty authentic Korean restaurants. If there is a sudden explosion of Koreans in the tri-cities - don't hold your breath - then there will be better, more authentic Korean restaurants.

I like Richland more and more. I'm awaiting family to join me here and once that happens I will have more interaction with the Korean community. So far I'm getting a very good impression. A tight-knit and warm group at the Korean church I attended.

Groceries... haven't found them here - except a little Kimchi and Ramyun noodles at Winco. But Hi-Mart in Seattle... wow.... that place impressed me. Just as big as E-mart in ChunCheon, in Korea. And probably cheaper.

[j_k_k]

I would love to see a Korean restaurant open up around here. Then again, I would love to see more of all kinds of ethnic restaurants open up around here. Unfortunately, it takes the TC a fairly long time to get dialed into a new cuisine, and I think many burn through their initial capital before that occurs.