Everyone’s talking about Chloe Kim, the 17-year-old snowboarder and new Olympic gold medalist.
Kim was born in the United States after her parents immigrated from Korea. If you’ve followed her recently, you’ve seen her talking about eating churros, wanting pineapple pizza … not exactly the foods of her ancestors. But on Tuesday, Korean-Americans in Atlanta talked about the pride they take in not just the gold medalist, but the parents who raised her.
Sweet Rice Bakery in Duluth serves foods you’ll more likely find in Seoul than ATL. The topic today is someone more likely to prefer Skittles to Seoul food.
Chloe Kim was not a name many in here knew until Monday, when she took US gold in the snowboard halfpipe in Korea, the home country of her parents.
“Her victory is such a, like, a landslide victory. It embodies the American dream,” said Andrew Sam.
But recent articles have also focused on Chloe’s father’s American dream. Jong Jin Kim brought his family to the U.S. – like many immigrant parents – to set up a better life for his kids. He even quit his job so Chloe could consume the snow.
“Most Koreans try to do like him, but just in the mind, not follow the action,” said Yoon Nam Lee.
That’s the dream that connect at Sweet Rice Bakery.
“You’re always so thankful for what your parents have done, but at the same time that’s an extra-hard expectation to live up to. ‘My parents sacrificed their lives for me, therefore I have to find my way but also focus on their expectations,’” said Sarah Park.
Kim has cleared all expectations on the board. From here she’ll head to college, based on her dad’s direction. Today she’s headline news from Korea to KoreATL.
“I think it’s really cool that the American dream comes in so many different sizes and shapes. It doesn’t matter who you are, as long as you put in the effort,” Sam said.
11Alive’s Matt Pearl talked to folks there about what Kim’s success means to them. Watch the story in the video above!
