|
“Liquor Store Dreams”
Dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Hale, owners of Charlie Hale’s Spadra Market, and parents of our friends Charlie Hale, ’66 and his sister Trudy
This is the best documentary I’ve seen in years.
We meet several generations of Korean families who come to the United States and buy liquor stores in Los Angeles, Compton and Long Beach.
They work in these small stores typically 15 hours a day, 7 days a week.
They don’t earn much: usually only enough to live, buy modest homes and have children.
These are not the same Koreans who come to live in Fullerton and send their children to Sunny Hills or Troy High School.
These Koreans who buy liquor stores and work in them can’t afford that.
If the families pool their money to send a son or daughter to college, and if that son or daughter becomes a business executive, a computer programmer, a teacher, a scientist, a real estate broker, a minister, a dentist, a doctor or an attorney, then maybe a family can move to Fullerton.
You’ll meet several families in this documentary and get to know the individuals.
The work is hard and not often pleasant. These stores are often robbed and sometimes the owners and employees are killed.
But they work to survive, and find ways to enjoy life.
More of them are cheerful people than not.
What they’re going through is what immigrants have gone through since the United States became a nation.
They’re not much different from my ancestors who came to the United States from Ireland, Norway and Western Europe.
Not much different from your ancestors who immigrated to the United States, too, maybe.
They’re excellent citizens. Excellent Americans.
I think you’ll enjoy their stories.
|
