Last month, a group of students got the opportunity to go on a field trip to the H Mart in Urbana, IL where they learned about a new culture.
The H Mart consists of a wide selection of Japanese, Chinese, and southeast Asian products.
This field trip was organized by Jeffrey Kroesch, a Normal West teacher who teaches creative writing, senior literature, and English 2.
The visit to the H mart was no surprise to his students, as they decided to visit the H mart because it directly relates to a book they that they read.
“The book is about a Korean woman who loses her mother to cancer, and in doing so, feels like she’s lost her connection to her Korean heritage, so anytime she visits this Korean grocery store, she’s hit with that kind of cultural disassociation part of why we chose to do this trip,” Mr Kroesch said.
The visit to the H Mart also had an impact due to the fact that Kroesch was “talking with [his] students, and many of them had no context for the different foods that she was referencing or what this place was, and so[he] figured having one as close as we do, it would be worthwhile to let them experience that.”
The diversity in the H mart is truly like entering a different world with different smells and foods that aren’t very well known to many students.
As an example, there is an aisle that is dedicated to different ramen.
“You know, the instant noodles [product] has an entire aisle there… addition to the grocery store,” Kroesch informed.
The authenticity of being at the H Mart is very accurate to what you would see at any other Asian market that isn’t in the United States.
You get to experience families actively speaking in Korean or Chinese, sitting in the food court.
The tofu selection at the H Mart was also one of the things that got the students invested based on how much tofu there was and the different types that covered a whole aisle.
“It was just amusing watching the students just trying to figure out everything. You know, this place has a larger tofu section than most grocery stores. They [also] have entire sections for kimchi and Korean appetizers that get served on plate,” Kroesch added.
Through the new experience, one thing is definitely for sure, it left an impact on the students that got to make the trip.
