In many pockets of Queens, native English-speakers are having a tough time finding their groceries. Many are furious that there isn't enough of "their" food in certain neighborhoods like Flushing, and Queens Assemblywoman Grace Meng has been pushing for businesses to post signs in English. Now, the Post reports Meng is proposing using private grants to print "The World Guide to Shopping," a pamphlet that would translate common shopping expressions into languages like Chinese, Hindi and Korean. But according to one business owner, English-speakers don't even want what their signs are selling.
Kanguk Lee, of J.E. Deli and Grocery in Flushing told the Post, "No Americans eat this!" while pointing to a sign for kimchi that was written in Korean. Tell that to anyone who's eaten with David Chang. Besides, hiding the "authentic" food from anyone who isn't fluent in Korean or Chinese is just another way of ensuring the "unadventurous American" stereotype remains. Meng says that it's the state's general-business law that businesses post signs in English, but that legislation does not specify who should enforce it, and so far nobody has.
Last year PS 20 got a city grant to have school kids translate signs into multiple languages, but only 23 of the 100 businesses they approached agreed to participate. One longtime Flushing resident gripped, "Let [Asians] have the supermarket. I give up." Well, then say goodbye to the Entenmann's.
