“A Dark History”
A daughter explains the dark history behind her parent’s experiences in becoming Chinese restaurant owners
A profile of China Express, a Chinese take-out restaurant in Greensboro, NC
3932 W. Market Street
Greensboro, NC 27407
(336) 855-8828
Interviewee: Annie Chen, Daughter of Owner
Interviewer: Nashmil Islam
Family History:
Annie Chen’s family is from Fuzhou, the capital of the southeastern province of China, Fujian (as seen on the right).
She was born in the United States, moved to China and lived in Fuzhou until she was 5 years old, and then moved back to the United States for kindergarten and on.
She speaks of her experience living as a child in Fuzhou below:
Her parents moved to Greensboro in 1990, following the footsteps of her aunt, who originally created her own restaurant business. At first, they worked in her restaurant, but after 6 years, they settled down and opened up their own take out restaurant, China Express. They have been managing this restaurant for the last 21 years.
Annie spoke about the struggles that her parents faced at first and now in the restaurant business. They work for 12 hours a day and 7 days a week with no scheduled breaks for lunch or dinner. During the day, there tends to be a “lunch calm” during which the workers in the restaurant can take a break to eat, but during busy nights, they often have to skip dinner in order to keep up with the amount of orders they receive.
Another great struggle that her family faced was being separated from each other when the Annie and her siblings were young. To start up a restaurant business, often, the parents are unable to take care of their children due to the strict time constraints. This was the reason that Annie and her siblings spent their first few years in China with their grandparents.
Growing Up as a Child in the Chinese Food Business:
Annie first started working at her parent’s restaurant in 5th grade, which affected her social life both after school and on the weekends throughout middle and high school. Initially, she did not enjoy working there, but in hindsight, she has learned a lot from her experiences. Her parents taught her through negative reinforcement, a traditional Chinese cultural practice where they criticized her when she did something wrong in order to teach her respect and enhance her performance in the future. She felt that this method of teaching her caused a rift in her relationship with her parents, which she speaks about below:
In the audio below, Annie speaks about the relationship she has with her grandmother (as opposed to her mother) as an effect of living with her from such a young age:
Work Within the Restaurant:
Annie’s parents were originally English teachers in China, therefore the language barrier in the United States was not a big issue for them. Her parents spoke Fujianese, Mandarin, and English. The chefs in the restaurant spoke only Fujianese while Annie and her siblings spoke Mandarin and English, but were able to understand Fujianese.
Within the restaurant, there are on average 1-2 cooks, 5-6 delivery drivers, both of her parents, her younger sister, and herself and her brother when they are home.
At China Express, the best seller dishes are Sesame Chicken (as seen on the left) and Chicken Wings, which she explains are very different from the foods that she eats at home. Her family eats traditional Fujianese dishes, which more frequently incorporate fish and seafood.
Annie also elaborates on the ingredients used to make dishes at home as well as at the restaurant. She says that they buy their Chinese ingredients from 2 specific supermarkets in Greensboro that have developed over the last decade, one of which is called Li Mings.
Below is a recording of a typical day working at China Express:
Parent’s Ideology:
Annie’s parents believe that working hard when you are young leads to living a rewarding life in the future. After their youngest daughter goes to college, Annie’s parents hope to move to New York where a number of their extended family and friends live. There, they will be among a better Chinese community and will retire with the rent that they receive from their property there and their savings from the restaurant.
Below, Annie speaks about how her parents view their journey in starting their restaurant as a dark history:
In the future, her parents do not want Annie or her siblings to continue the restaurant business. They plan to sell their business when the retire, but are unsure of whom to pass it on to. They hope that their children can find more stable and less laborious jobs where they do not have to work unstop without a break. Annie is on the path to becoming a physician’s assistant, her brother hopes to work within computer science, and her sister wants to pursue pharmacy.
Conclusion:
With many Chinese restaurant owners, there is a dark history preceding the creation of the restaurant that affects all members of the family. For Annie, it consisted of separating from her family during her childhood, a rift in her relationship with her parents, and sacrificing her social life for work shifts. At the same time, her experiences taught her how to be humble, mature, and grateful at a very young age.
Pictures:
