Lunch at Korean church is more than just a meal

Church members gather for lunch in the church cafeteria every Sunday after the 11 a.m. service at a Korean church in Yonkers, New York. A recent lunch included braised ribs, pork bulgogi, seaweed soup, japchae, and meatballs. “It’s not easy to cook a lot of food at once, but cooking together with my friends it’s not that hard,“ said church member and volunteer Kim Young-hee (65) in an interview with the New York Times.

A New York Times article on Friday (local time) shed light on the role of lunch at Korean churches, describing them as more than meals. Lunch provided at churches played a pivotal role in helping Korean immigrants settle in the US. Particularly for first-generation immigrants not fluent in English, they played an essential role in the community and provided a sense of belonging.

However, with fewer Korean Americans attending Korean churches, the after-service lunch is becoming a less central experience for young Korean Americans. According to a recent study from the Pew Research Center, 34% percent of Asian Americans identify as Christian, down from 42% in 2012. Young Korean Americans are finding other spaces to be with other Korean Americans.

Some of the young generation, however, still miss after-service lunches. “It was the only time I grew up around other Korean kids,” Korean American chef Daniel Harthausen said, “It was the only time I felt connected to Korean culture.”


71wook@donga.com