Preferred Name
Eun Han
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Date of Graduation
5-14-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Department of History
First Advisor
Dr. Michael Seth
Second Advisor
Dr. Youngguang Hu
Third Advisor
Dr. Jessica Davidson
Abstract
This paper is an exploration into the role that Korean dishes like Kalbi, Korean marinated or grilled meat, and Kimchi, a fermented vegetable or fruit dish played in the development of the Korean Immigrant community and the cultivation of cultural identity of Korean immigrants. This paper offers a brief overview into the history some of the major dishes that forms the core of the three sections of this article with Kalbi being the main theme for the section on Korean immigration to Hawaii in 1903 and Kimchi being the main dish discussed in the second to third section that explores the continuing role that food for Korean immigrants after 1965. Section one also mentions the hardships that the first group of Korean Immigrants in Hawaii had with adjusting to the strange culinary landscape of America as Hamburger and Salad was unusual for Korean immigrants who never encountered meat being eaten on its own or vegetables being eaten raw. The first section ends with an exploration into the movement of Korean immigrants as they moved away from the plantations of Hawaii between 1903 to the 1920s where new communities were established in places like Riverside California which became the first Korea town in the United States. The second section discusses the role that Korean food like Kimchi plays in the cultivation of a sense of connection along with community for first and second generation Korean Immigrants to their heritage while discussing the various paths of the cultural connections second generation Korean Immigrants make in terms of food. The third section covers the role Korean food has played in the popularization of Korean Culture and its effect on the Korean immigrant community along with some issues that emerges with the popularization of a certain cuisine in the United States.
