With the rapidly growing number of Asian-run businesses in the area, many say they feel ignored and isolated by Asian markets that don't provide enough -- according to one non-Asian resident -- "food for us."
Flushing has rapidly transformed into New York City's largest hub of East Asian commerce, dwarfing even downtown Manhattan's Chinatown in the number of Asian residents and businesses. Ten years ago, the dozen or so neighborhoods that make up northern Queens, including Flushing, were 36% Asian and 41% white, according to Census figures. Today, their percentages are nearly even, according to American Community Survey estimates of 2006 to 2008.Okay, so it sucks when food you're familiar and comfortable with is not readily available at the corner store. But part of me also sees some humor in not having basic things like baloney and Wonderbread, but plenty of options when it comes to live seafood, bok choy or a jar of kimchee.
Some non-Asian residents mourn the neighborhood's transformation, saying it feels like a foreign country. They say the Key Food, which closed in late May, was among the last grocery stores where they could buy Lean Cuisine and deli meats.
New York Mart, part of a chain that has four other Asian groceries in the city, is considering the residents' requests, said General Manager William Chen, who said he intends to spend $4 million to renovate the space. "They were asking for a deli; we actually don't have much experience with delis," said Mr. Chen. "It's a good idea but I have to consult with people who have experience with that."
It just sounds like the ongoing, run-of-the-mill growing pains of a changing city and its people. Flushing isn't the same as it was ten or twenty years ago, and it won't be the same ten or twenty years from now. And hey, white people, why not venture outside that one aisle of "food for us"? Maybe you'll find something you like.
