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FEB 21, 2020
Another Course Recent studies show decline of Chinese-owned restaurants, bring light to cultural changes between generations of immigrants SOPHIA HAWKINS STORY
MARVIN FAN, RAY MO PHOTOS
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or almost 14 years, junior Emily Chan’s parents owned and operated a Chinese restaurant in Carmel. The restaurant was always like a second home to Emily; when she was in elementary school, she spent almost every day after school there, playing or finishing homework, and as she got older, she sometimes worked there on weekends. Recently, however, Chan’s parents made the decision to sell the restaurant due to the physical and mental strain it put on the family. “The restaurant in general is too much of a physical workload. Many of our dishes (were) handmade and made fresh, from the appetizers to the main courses,” Chan said. “Any argu31 ment that happens there...will come back home, and that alone creates a lot of stress. On top of all of that, finding 421
by the numbers
36% of American adults eat Chinese cuisine at least once a month
54% of American chefs consider regional ethnic cuisine a hot trend STATISTA SOURCE
ethnic eateries 465
See the geographic distribution of Carmel’s local ethnic restaurants
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421
CHS
465
Chinese
Mexican
Thai
Italian
Indian
Greek
Vietnamese
French
Japanese
Spanish CHLOE SUN GRAPHIC GOOGLE MAPS SOURCE
employees also became difficult. Many don’t want to work in such a stressful and physical intensive environment.” But in addition to the stress, Chan said she had no intention of taking over the restaurant in the future. And that, according to new research, is not unusual. Most locally-owned Chinese restaurants don’t get passed down from parent to child, and Chan said she thinks the reasons why her parents sold theirs may be the same reasons why the businesses aren’t staying in the families. According to the United States Census Bureau, the most common field of work for first-generation Chinese immigrants like Chan’s parents is in the restaurant industry. “It’s called the ‘cultural enclave,’” social studies teacher Michael O’Toole said. “So you’re looking for people, even though you’re looking in a new country, but if you don’t speak the language, or you have common religion, common interest (with others), it’s much easier...and (Chinese immigrants) had certain skills. They know that Chinese food is extremely popular in American culture, so they can open (a restaurant) up, (and) that way they can serve their community with actual traditional Chinese cuisine.” Chan said when her mother first moved to New Jersey, she missed her home in China. “When she was in a restaurant, like a Chinese restaurant, she (remembered) the food from back home,” Chan said. “It almost felt like home in a way.” The Census Bureau also found that the most common self-employment for the children of immigrants is in computer services, followed by dentistry and the arts. In fact, restaurant work doesn’t even make the top five. Furthermore, data from Yelp shows that the overall number of Chinese res-
taurants in the United States has consistently declined in the past five years. O’Toole said, “A couple things are happening there, either (the owners) are retiring, and their children have new educational opportunities and other ideas. (Or) because there were so many Chinese restaurants as well, it’s almost like a flooded market, so some of them will stay open, but some of them...should be shut down.” Chan said she has seen this decline in Chinese restaurants firsthand. “Many don’t want to work in such environments,” she said. “Along with that, many Chinese restaurants are family-based and have been passed down from generation to generation. But nowadays, the Chinese children that grew up in restaurants, at least the ones that I know of, pursued different careers.” HELPING HAND: 1. Junior Ben Lin helps his mom wrap a Flaming Shrimp dish. He said his family has owned the Wild Ginger on 116th restaurant since 2015. 2. Lin lights the Flaming Shrimp dish. 4. The Volcano Roll is a dish with avocado and crab meat served at Wild Ginger.
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