1. THROUGH THE PEEPSIGHT OF A GROCERY STORE.
- Author
-
Kong, Hester
- Subjects
WORLD War II & society ,WAR & society ,GROCERY industry ,RACE relations ,CONSUMER behavior ,INTERRACIAL marriage - Abstract
This article examines the changes and tendencies as brought on by World War II through the peepsight of a grocery store. The grocery store is located in Palama District, Honolulu, Hawaii. It is surrounded by homes which are structurally like the store. Because of its location, the store receives a disproportionate number of Korean and Puerto Rican customers. The days immediately following the attack were filled with anxiety and suspicion among the various groups in the vicinity of the store. Other stories such as of Japanese flashing signals from temple windows and burning secret papers were widely spread. Customers would often try to determine whether the store was Japanese or not before entering. Fear of food shortages resulted in further suspicion of the Japanese. Store hours have been shortened. Since the war, customers have had more money to spend than they ever did before. The scarcity of merchandise in the stores has caused many housewives to go out of their immediate neighborhoods in search of certain items. With the passing of time, the problems of personal and group interaction in Palama have necessarily changed. There were also expressions of real friendliness between the many groups based on common interests. Since the war, there have been an even greater number of interracial marriages.
- Published
- 1945