Meet Park Slope's Bodega Workers, Part 2
From South Korea, Yemen, and Mauritania!
Hi and happy cherry blossom season!🌸 How’s your week going? I hope everyone had the chance to get outside a little bit before the rain.
I’m excited to be back today with the second installment of my Park Slope bodega workers series. I was really happy to see such a positive response to the first one, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much.
Hae Lee, 5th Ave. Gourmet Delight
270 5th Avenue
How long have you owned 5th Ave. Gourmet Delight?
This one, 25 years. We also had one on Carroll Street that closed two years ago.
Where are you from?
South Korea. I moved here 32 years ago.
What made you want to move to the States?
Flushing! I'm in New Jersey now, but I was in Flushing, and then came here. Then, back to Bayside, and then to New Jersey because the kids are there.
Do you commute from New Jersey to Park Slope every day?
Yes, for 20 years.
Do you drive?
I cannot, but my husband does. Every day, we’re together 24 hours [laughs]. At my daughter's company, everybody asked me, How can a wife and husband be together 24 hours like that for 30 years? No divorce?! [laughs] We care about our kids. That's why we work a long time like this. Before we worked 14/15-hour days. For five years like that.
When you’re not working, what do you like to do?
When [our other location closed on Carroll Street] I had a little bit of time to stay home. I like to cook Korean food for my family.
Emad Hassa, 5th Ave Market
185 5th Avenue
How long have you worked here?
I started when I was 15, so three years.
Where did you grow up?
Yemen.
So many people I’ve talked to for this series are from Yemen.
[Laughs] Yes, it’s true. A lot of them over here, they’re from Yemen. Even the owners, all of them, they're from Yemen.
What do you like to do when you get off work?
I got college. I don’t do anything [laughs].
Where do you go to college?
CSI [College of Staten Island].
What are you studying?
I’m thinking about doctor, but I’m not sure what kind yet. I’m in my second semester.
Do you like CSI?
It’s good so far.
Najem El Abass, 402 New Way Gourmet Deli
402 5th Avenue
How long have you worked here?
One year and four months.
Where did you grow up?
I’m from Mauritania. I came here one year and seven months ago.
Why did you move to the States?
I want a good life, because in my country, I did not have a good life. I have only my sister because my dad and my mom died. I want a way to work and send my sister money because we don’t have anyone over there.
When you’re not working, what do you like to do?
I play football [soccer]. In my country I played football a lot. When I came here and didn’t work for the first two months, I went to the park and played football. But now I don’t have time. I work seven days a week to pay for rent.
Did you speak English when you first moved here?
When I came here, no. I speak French and Arabic. Now it’s better. Now I speak a little English. I want to learn more.
Thank you so much, Hae, Emad, and Najem!
(Photos by Kelley MacDonald.)
Park Slope’s award-winning croissants: Julien Boulangerie (186 5th Avenue) and Brooklyn French Bakers (510 2nd Street) tied for first place for the People’s Choice Award, and Julien Boulangerie also won the Award for Best Original Creation with their “Paris-Brest Croissant” and got second place for the Grand Prix for Best Croissant in New York.
Mark your calendars for the 10th annual Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl: Twenty six independent bookstores across the borough are participating in the crawl from April 19th-26th, including four local bookstores — Community Bookstore, Terrace Books, 826NYC, and POWERHOUSE on 8th.
04/11 Workshop: Hip Hop in Music Therapy, 6PM-9PM 📍Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
04/11 The Park Slope Food Coop Concert Series #6, 6:30PM 📍ShapeShifter Lab
04/11 Nerd Nite NYC, 7PM 📍Littlefield
04/11 Vincenzo Latronico presents Perfection, in conversation with Merve Emre, 7PM 📍Community Bookstore
04/11 Hack City Comedy with Mic Nguyen and Jenny Arimoto, 7:30PM 📍Union Hall
04/11 Moonlight Tour, 8PM 📍Green-Wood Cemetery
04/11 Zubi Ahmed: Father Figure, 10PM-11:30PM 📍Union Hall
04/11 Tingz Presents: More Vybz, 11PM 📍Littlefield
04/12 Annie’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt & Easter Stories, 10AM 📍Annie’s Blue Ribbon
04/12 The Art of Image Editing: A Beginner's Guide, 10AM-12PM 📍Central Library
04/12 Dance Fitness with Shape Up NYC, 10AM-11AM 📍Prospect Park Boathouse
04/12 & 04/13 Spring Family Discovery Weekends, 10:30AM-12:30PM 📍Brooklyn Botanic Garden
04/12 Steph's Little Movers Pop-Up Class, 10:30AM-11:15AM 📍JJ Byrne Playground
04/12 & 04/13 Brooklyn Horticulture x Ecuagenera Biannual Plant Sale, 11AM-7PM 📍Brooklyn Horticulture
04/12 PS 118 In Washington Park, 12PM-2PM 📍Old Stone House
04/12 Spoons Toons All Ages ROCKS! 12PM 📍Nitehawk Cinema
04/12 Memory Program for Individuals with Memory Loss and Their Caregivers, 1:30PM-3:30PM 📍Brooklyn Botanic Garden
04/12 Revolutionary Spirits, 3:30PM-6PM 📍Green-Wood Cemetery
04/12 Vespa - A Girl and Her Pet Wasp, 5:30PM 📍Old Stone House
04/12 Bruce McCulloch: Tales of Bravery and Stupidity, 7PM 📍The Bell House
04/12 Cambodian New Year Celebration, 7PM 📍Whisk & Whiskey
04/12 Body Count hosted by Tessa Belle and Jo Sunday, 7:30PM-9PM 📍Union Hall
04/12 Janet vs Madonna, 10PM 📍Good Judy
04/12 Sandwich with Gastor Almonte & Jess Salomon, 10PM-11:30PM 📍Union Hall
04/12 ANIME Y2K PARTY | Presented by LAN Party & Moonies Club, 11PM 📍Littlefield
04/13 Nature Exploration, 10AM-1PM 📍Audubon Center
04/13 Brooklyn Pop-Up Market, 10:30AM-5:30PM 📍Brooklyn Museum
04/13 Smorgasburg, 11AM-6PM 📍Breeze Hill, Prospect Park
04/13 The Vital Role of Literature with Betsy Carswell, 12:30PM-2PM 📍Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture
04/13 Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra: Sublime Landscapes, 2PM-4PM 📍Brooklyn Museum
04/13 Buds and Blossoms: A Spring Walk at Green-Wood, 2PM-4PM 📍Green-Wood Cemetery
04/13 Cheese Plate Brooklyn x Pasta Louise Three-Course Pasta & Cheese Tasting Menu, 3PM-5PM 📍Pasta Louise
04/13 Me, Myself and Eye: Briggan Krauss, 4:40PM-5:40PM 📍440 Gallery
04/13 Steve Martin Presents, 5PM-6:30PM 📍Union Hall
04/13 Pete and Me (A Non Depressing Look at Autism and Family), 7:30PM-9PM 📍Union Hall
04/14-04/18 Spring Break in Prospect Park, 12PM-4PM 📍Audubon Center, Prospect Park
04/14 Life Drawing, 6PM-7:30PM 📍Central Library
04/14 April Romantic Comedy, 7PM-9PM 📍The Ripped Bodice
04/14 FREE Stand-Up Comedy + $4 Tecates, 7PM-9:30PM 📍Freddy's
04/14 Lauren Oyler presents No Judgment, in conversation with Joanna Biggs, 7PM 📍Community Bookstore
04/14 Reductress Presents: Haha...WOW! 7:30PM-9PM 📍Union Hall
04/15 & 04/17 Spring Family Discovery Days, 10:30AM-12:30PM 📍Brooklyn Botanic Garden
04/15 Babies and Bubbles, 11AM-12PM 📍Wise Wonder
04/15 Read, Sing, Make, 4:30PM-5:15PM 📍Central Library
04/15 Fashion Film Night Out, 5:30PM-8PM 📍Central Library
04/15 Diane Mehta presents Happier Far, in conversation with Minna Zallman Proctor, 7PM 📍Community Bookstore
04/15 Messy Queens, 7:30PM-9:30PM 📍Good Judy
04/15 A Night to Remember with Caitlin Durante, 7:30PM-9PM 📍Union Hall
04/15 Podcast About List LIVE, 7:30PM 📍The Bell House
04/16 Stroller Tours: Breaking the Mold, 10AM-11:15AM 📍Brooklyn Museum
04/16 & 04/17 Family Gardening Hours, 10:30AM-12PM 📍Brooklyn Botanic Garden
04/16 Spring First Discovery Days, 10:30AM-12:30PM 📍Brooklyn Botanic Garden
04/16 Block Printing Patterns with Kate Zaremba, 6PM-8:30PM 📍Hot House
04/16 Hear Me Out: Hosted by Nick Smith, 7:30PM-9PM 📍Union Hall
04/16 Straightiolab LIVE! 7:30PM 📍The Bell House
04/16 “Enough is Enuf” Book Release Party, 8PM-10PM 📍Littlefield
04/17 Photoshop Essentials, 1:30PM-4:30PM 📍Central Library
04/17 Central Cookbook Club: April is the Cruller Month, 3PM-4:30PM 📍Central Library
04/17 Heritage Ambassador meet up: The Balafon and the legacy of the Griot in West African Mande music, 6PM-7:30PM 📍Central Library
04/17 Weirdo Night hosted by Dynasty Handbag, 7:30PM 📍The Bell House
04/17 Drawn Together, 7PM-9PM 📍Interference Archive
04/17 Star Trek Entirely From Memory, 8PM-10PM 📍Littlefield
04/17 Nataly’s New Jokes, 10PM-11:30PM 📍Union Hall
Thank you so much for reading! I’m taking next week off from the letter to soak up some time with my daughter while she’s on school break. See you back here on April 25th. Hope you have a great weekend!
Kelley xo