Find the mochi on aisle 3: Over at Kimchi Mamas, Carol writes about non-Korean families who stumble upon the delights of Super H-Mart.

When I shop at my friendly local Super H-Mart, as is my wont on lazy Sunday afternoons, I always notice the non-Asian patrons. Not all, but the ones that sloooowly wander the aisles with an expression of absolute bewilderment. Like they are in a dream world of some sort, or mirrored fun-house. They innocently look for ice cream, only to be met with something called mochi and red bean popsicles, or instant noodles and are awash in a red sea of shiny Shin-ramyun packages. “Oh honey … this box says it’s chicken cal-GUCK-sue? Is that like alfredo or something?” And you might hear a child’s voice off in the distance, by the deli: “EWWWWWWW!!! These are OCTOPUS LEGS!!!!”

If H-Mart hasn’t hit your neck of the woods yet, it’s a Korean grocery chain, prevalent on the coasts and starting to emerge in middle America. It’s much bigger in size and selection than the smaller mom-and-pop operations I’ve grown up with - the one near me took over what used to be a Jewel (that’s Albertson’s in other parts of the country), so it’s pretty sizable. On an economic side-note - I wonder how H-Mart’s arrival will impact said mom-and-pops … Read more…

Seattle’s Native, black children more likely to end up in foster care: A study shows that race bias and lack of understanding about Native American and African American culture is impacting Seattle’s foster care system.

Until he was 17, Charles Goodwin spent most of his teen years living with foster families and interacting with caseworkers who never fully understood him for a basic reason: None shared his Native American heritage.

The state removed him from his dysfunctional home and passed him through the child welfare system, where some foster parents referred to him as an “Injun” and disregarded his cultural interests, he said, while the state ignored his requests for a Native American caseworker.

“I do think that training and cultural awareness regarding the Native community would help,” said Goodwin, a 21-year-old Seattle resident who is part Blackfoot and Keetoowah and also goes by Miskomaengun, his Indian name. “It’s not everything, but it would be a big step.” Read more…