A melting pot society is defined as a society that holds different types of people of different heritage uniting as one. To me, a primary example of this type of society is none other than Bensonhurst. Bensonhurst is a tight knit community that is located on the South-Western side of Brooklyn. This neighborhood holds a special place in not just my heart but those who have grown up and lived there as well. Upon entering Bensonhurst, the locals are quite friendly and approachable. There are generations upon generations of inhabitants; it’s without a doubt that they had built a strong foundation for a community. The streets of Bensonhurst are filled with all kinds of people of different ethnic backgrounds. Some titles that Bensonhurst has obtained are: Little Italy of Brooklyn due to its large Italian-American population, as well as Brooklyn’s second Chinatown because of their largest population of residents born in China. According to the Statistic Atlas, Bensonhurst’s Population in 2018 identified as 47.3% White and 37.3% Asian. The neighborhood is also home for other ethnic groups like Hispanics, Blacks, Mixed, and many more. Bensonhurst, like the rest of the United States, is a primary example of a Melting Pot Society.
Image 1: Graph of Demographic within New York and Bensonhurst
The emergence of multiple ethnic groups within Bensonhurst, created a linguistic landscape that featured many signs with a mix of English and another foreign language. Instead of having businesses limited to only one group of people, they’re inclusive and make an attempt to seek attention from the general public. As we take a stroll into the neighborhood, we can further analyze the linguistic landscapes and how they are a beneficial tactic for prospering businesses. With that said, Bensonhurst promotes diversity and it is shown through the signs that you see when you step foot in this neighborhood.
Nowadays, the appearance of Chinese takeout restaurants has been prominent. These restaurants like Jin Xin Restaurant (Image 2a) in Bensonhurst represent the growing Chinese American population of Bensonhurst. At first glance, you notice that the English is bigger than the Chinese when it comes to the restaurant’s name. You may wonder why and this is because the restaurant is trying to cater towards Americans. In these take out restaurants, Chinese immigrants serve food that resulted from a combination of a variety of influences. When the Chinese were immigrating from many different provinces of China to America, many have taken their distinct cuisines and introduced them to the United States. However, Chinese immigrants working in the restaurant business need to appeal to American audiences. Instead of just traditional Chinese dishes, Jin Xin Restaurant often made food that appealed to the culinary tastes of Americans. In Image 2b, you can see the sign that shows what they’re serving, Chicken and Broccoli, which are food items that are not common in China. Furthermore, you could also see that the restaurant serves food that has absolutely no Chinese influences, such as fried chicken and french fries just because they believe that their American consumers would enjoy it. Nevertheless, we can also assume that the restaurant is trying to target a wide audience as it had Chinese, English, and Spanish.
Image 2a: Jin Xin Restaurant (Image taken from Google)
Image 2b: Jin Xin Restaurant’s menu (Image taken from Google)
The Asian community makes up 37.3% of the Bensonhurst area and one of the most common and beloved cuisines is that of the Vietnamese. In Image 3, it depicts a popular Vietnamese Restaurant “Phố Tây Hồ”. If we translate this, it means “ Pho from the West Lake” and the number is supposed to represent what the owner considered to be their lucky number to bring in prospering business. In this case, the owner’s lucky number coincides with the street of Bensonhurst that it is located in. Right off the bat, the sign’s biggest words are in Vietnamese and it is in big, bold red letters. Now, if you didn’t speak Vietnamese then you wouldn’t know what this place was, let alone know that it’s a restaurant. The only clue that you would have are the smaller letters below the sign that says “Vietnamese Cuisine”, this would have been hard to see from far away. This shows us that the owner of this Vietnamese Restaurant most likely intended for his business to cater to mainly the Vietnamese and for them to get a taste of their home country in Bensonhurst. For those that are not of Vietnamese heritage, the only way you would give this place a try is if you were to walk by it and see it in person. Although the English is a lot smaller than the Vietnamese, it still shows that the owner is making attempts to attract those outside of his heritage and deliver an authentic taste and feel to Vietnam.
Image 3: Picture of the Vietnamese restaurant (Image taken from Google Maps)
It is not uncommon to see Mini Malls that are a conglomerate of individual businesses around the area of Bensonhurst. In Image 4, there are a bunch of Chinese businesses ranging from Antiques to Technical Centers to Jewelry to Gift Shops. Notice that each of the signs of the businesses are layered on top of each other and all have both Chinese and English plastered all over them. All of them have relatively similar fonts and color schemes and even the same format. The use of both English and Chinese and the variety of businesses and services are an attempt to appeal to all types of people in the community. It also highlights both traditional (Ex: Antiques) and modern businesses (Ex:Tech Centers) which shows the different generations of immigrants working hand in hand in partnership.
One noticeable connection that could be made between the Asian businesses is their use of red and yellow in their signs. To Chinese people, red is a popular color in Chinese culture as it symbolizes luck, fortune, and happiness. Yellow/Gold is also considered the most beautiful color to Chinese people. Yellow/Gold symbolizes neutrality and good luck and is suitable to be paired with red. Hence it is safe to assume that this could be the reason why Asian businesses choose to use these colors with their signs.
Image 4: Picture of the Chinese Mini Mall (Photo credit: Evan Wu)
The United States is known as a big melting pot of cultures in which each and every person is represented. As we take a look at this particular sign of “ Bay Pharmacy”, this perfectly captures this idea of a “Melting Pot” that the US is. In Image 5, it shows 3 different languages that cater to 3 different types of people that may reside in Bensonhurst: Russian, Chinese and of course, English. Аптека is a Russian word that translates to “drugstore” or “pharmacy”. We can see due to the majority of the words on the storefront / glass being Russian, we can assume that the owners of this store’s native language is indeed Russian. As an attempt to appeal to the populous Chinese community in Bensonhurst, they included two Chinese Characters that translate to “Pharmacy”, this makes the pharmacy more approachable and seem welcoming because of its use of different languages foreign to their own. The biggest sign on top is in English, which says : “BAY PHARMACY”. English is considered a universal, therefore, making it the biggest sign and in all capital letters, captivates people from far away.
Image 5: Picture of the Russian Pharmacy (Photo credit: Evan Wu)
As mentioned before Bensonhurst is commonly known as a Little Italy of Brooklyn and this particular store is a perfect representation of the Italian community that resides in Bensonhurst. What catches the eye the most about this particular store’s signs is definitely the big and bold neon letters that’s plastered on top and says “ITALIAN RECORDS”. What’s unique about this particular store’s sign is the usage of the colors of the Italian Flag, which is Red, Green and White. The neon letters grab the attention of passerbyers and alert them that this is an Italian run store. Below is a smaller font in Green highlighted by white that says “Profumi E Articoli Da Regalo Importati”. We can assume that this is in the Italian language and translates to “Perfumes And Imported Gifts”. The fact that the signs are somewhat worn out, faded, and broken shows the authenticity and history of the Italian roots in Bensonhurst. This store is known to sell authentic Italian memorabilia and imported goods to help the Italian community of Bensonhurst to celebrate their lineage and also encourage those who are not of Italian lineage to explore the Italian culture given that their English sign is so much bigger and bolder than their Italian sign.
Image 6: Picture of the Italian Records (Image taken from Google Maps)
The third most populous community in Bensonhurst comes to no surprise for it is Hispanic. One of the more authentic Hispanic food establishments is “Panaderia La Autentica”, which translates to Authentic Bakery in Spanish. As shown on Image 7, the sign is solely in Spanish and lists out their many products such as tacos alongside the traditional Mexican pastries and bread. The only clue that we would have if we were not Hispanic is the small English words on the glass storefront which is significantly smaller than the sign above. This can be a way that tells us that it is a business that is catered to mainly the Hispanic community, it seems to be a business that allows for those of Mexican lineage to taste food from their home country and to keep in tact with their culture in Bensonhurst even if they are far away from home.
Image 7: Picture of Panaderia La Autentica (Image taken from Google Maps)
There is also a populous Islamic Society Community in Bensonhurst and one of the particular establishments that is a good presentation of this is the “Zia- Ul- Karam Islamic Center”. This sign tells passerbyers that this is an Islamic Center and above it says “Masjid and Religious Education” which informs us that this is a business that is catering to the Islamic Community. This center serves as a Mosque that is dedicated to educating those on their religion as well a place for sacred worship. The sign has a picture of the Kaaba (The House of Allah) and also Arabic writing which specifically tells us that this is directly aimed at the Islamic Community. The fact that this sign is faded and worn out with prolonged Christmas lights slung around it shows us that this establishment has been situated in Bensonhurst for a long time and dedicated to being a place of worship for generations of Islamic followers to come.
Image 8: Picture of Zia- Ul- Karam Islamic Center (Photo credit: Evan Wu)
Aside from signs that promote food and entertainment establishments, there are also a lot of businesses that use signs that are fixated on health and medicine. One of which is Eastern Style Medicine and Therapy which is popularized by the Chinese Community of Bensonhurst. For example, take this Chinese Herbal business that stands right next to a Physical Therapy and Acupuncture business. The Chinese Herbal business’ sign is made up of mainly Chinese characters and a smaller English title on the bottom right that reads ”Chinese Herbals”. This shows that this shop is meant to cater to mainly the Traditional Chinese Community because the style of Medicinal Herbs may not be suitable to those outside of the Chinese Community. On the contrary, the business next to it provides both English and Chinese language on its sign with equal opportunity of space on the sign. This particular business is named “Dynamic Physical Therapy and Acupuncture” which appeals to not only those who prefer traditional but also modern style medicine. Acupuncture is known as a traditional Chinese style of therapy, while physical therapy is known more as a modern type of therapy and is universal. This business appeals to not only the Chinese Community with acupuncture but also to anyone of any background who is in need of physical therapy and medical attention.
Image 9: Picture of Chinese Herbs and Dynamic Physical Therapy and Acupuncture (Photo Credit: Professor Constantin)
Speaking on the topic of Healthcare, one of the many Healthcare businesses that are in Bensonhurst is “EmblemHealth”. At first glance, people may assume that this might be a Chinese run Healthcare business due to the Chinese characters on the sign. However, upon further research, EmblemHealth is in fact not a Chinese healthcare business but rather one of America’s largest nonprofit healthcare businesses, meaning that it is universal and catered towards everyone. If that’s the case, then why is the sign only in English and Chinese? This is EmblemHealth’s business tactic to appeal to the populous Chinese community in Bensonhurst.
Image 10: Picture of EmblemHealth Center (Photo credit: Evan Wu)
Bensonhurst is a conglomerate of cultures that is situated in Brooklyn, New York and is a primary example of a melting pot of a community in the United States. Little did we know that linguistic landscapes could showcase so much about a community as a whole, not only are they beneficial for business but also for storytelling of ethnic groups for generations to come. The linguistic landscape is not only accommodating to all people but is also a business tactic that uses culture and different languages to pull on the heartstrings of consumers to maximize profit and increase revenue all while upholding and promoting the cultural aspects of each type of community in Bensonhurst. Bensonhurst is definitely one of the many places in New York City that is a diverse and welcoming area to locals and also those that are foreign to the area.
