Author: Sayuj Zachariah

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Greenpoint, Brooklyn: The Hipster’s Perspective

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R892zc4ptnE&w=560&h=315]

We talked for a bit in class about how Greenpoint was home to a vibrant Polish community. This has changed quickly over the past decade as Natalie was kind enough to share her personal experiences of how Greenpoint became a victim of gentrification.

I stumbled upon this video that looks into Greenpoint. It was the first video that appeared on YouTube so maybe it would really helpful for a person looking into Greenpoint. The title suggests that it is going to present various points of interest and popular restaurants in Greenpoint, so that a person who might be interested in visiting the neighborhood would know where to go. However, it seemed to me more as a McCafe commercial with Greenpoint in the background. Watch the 3-minute video and you’ll see at least 3 references to McCafe.

Sure, they have a quick little scene in front of a Polish bakery, talking about the Polish influence in Greenpoint, but they quickly take away from it by beginning a racist joke about the Polish. They even introduce the video with a hipster in the background and later describe him as a hip, young person who contributes to the culture of Greenpoint.

This purpose of this video is up in the air to me. What is the purpose of making a video that does not give much insight about Greenpoint? Why are there so many promotions of McCafe? Nonetheless, this video seems to put Greenpoint in the light of hipsters and not the Polish immigrants who made Greenpoint the Polish haven.

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Williamsburg has the #2 Afghani food in the City?

I was aimlessly scrolling through Yelp searching for where to find the best kinds of food in New York City. I typed in “Afghani Food”, expecting to find the best Afghani food somewhere in New York City where there is a high concentration of Afghani people. I was expecting that these businesses would prefer catering to people of their own nationality, giving the locals a taste of their home cuisine.

However, what I found was that the #2 best Afghani food for cheap near Brooklyn was the Kabob Shack in Williamsburg-South Side. That was something I did not expect, knowing that Williamsburg has been the constant site of gentrification over many years. The two things in particular that shocked me was 1) why is it fairly cheap? and 2) why Afghani food in Williamsburg?. After thinking more into it, it makes sense. This business is in Williamsburg’s South Side, which I learned is considered more residential and less gentrified than the North Side. This business serves both the residents in search of ethnic food and the stragglers of the North Side of Williamsburg who are in the mood for falafel. The “exoticness” of Afghani food also seems to attract customers to this restaurant.

Furthermore, after reading about the zoning changes in Williamsburg/Greenpoint, which allows for more residential developers to come and create housing for both low income and high income families, it is apparent that the location of this business is ideal for those moving in. Because it is ethnic food, rather than something like a restaurant, which can be displaced by Applebee’s or Chipotle for example, it seems to me that the Kabob Shack is here to stay.

 

https://www.yelp.com/biz/kabob-shack-brooklyn?osq=afghan+food