INSIDE VOICES

INSIDE VOICES

Robert Gwaltney and Jeffrey Dale Lofton introduce Curtis Chin

Aco-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City, Curtis Chin served as the non-profits’ first Executive Director. He went on to write for network and cable television before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films at over 600 venues in twenty countries. He has written for CNN, Bon Appetit, the Detroit Free Press and the Emancipator Boston Globe. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Chin has received awards from ABC Disney Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more. His memoir, "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant" was published by Little, Brown in Fall 2023. His essay in Bon Appetit was selected for Best Food Writing in America 2023.

Jeffrey: Writing a memoir is telling one's truth. Why did you decide to chronicle your life in book form?

Thanks for having me on your podcast. My memoir started as a personal project for my family. When my siblings, who had all moved out of Detroit, started having kids, I wanted the next generation in our family to know about our hundred year history in the state. Story-telling seemed the best way for little kids. It was only after George Floyd was murdered and there was a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes that I really decided to sell the book.

Robert: Your book is as much about you as it is about the cares and hardships of your family and the people in your community, both the Chinese-American community, the Detroit community in general, and the queer community that you slowly, cautiously joined. What was behind your decision to tell their stories alongside your own?

I knew the book would address my experiences as an Asian American and queer writer and community organizer, however, I also wanted the book to be a Detroit memoir, as well as a memoir of the 80s. I wanted people who weren’t Asian American and or gay to feel connected to the story.

Jeffrey: You navigate several worlds (Chinese-American, Detroit, and queer communities). What has been the reaction to your story from each of these cultures?

The biggest support has come from both the Asian American and Detroit community. They really have been turning out to show their support. Many of the leading organizations from these communities have been reaching out to me, offering their support, hosting readings and buying bulk copies to share with their members. The book has also struck a chord with people interested food and people who consider themselves foodies. While I have had a number of gays – old and young – come to my readings, I would love more support from the institutions in the LGBT community. For instance, none of the major LGBT press has written about my book. I wonder if it’s because of the title, though the cover is rainbow.

Robert: There is a passage not too far into the book about realizing it is possible for family to stop loving. Will you talk about that and why you planted that in the midst of what is an otherwise bouncy and humorous account of your early life?

Growing up in the inner city of Detroit, I was constantly surrounded by death, danger, and destruction. But my parents always made me and my siblings feel safe. The idea of ever disappointing them or losing their love scared the hell out of me. I put that in early, just to show you the stakes for me and how that has been a guiding force in my life.

Jeffrey: Your father had an uncanny ability to find common ground with anyone, and he encouraged you to talk to strangers. His example showed you there was no need to be afraid. Talk to us about the example he set and how you've used that confidence to navigate the world.

When you’re a kid, oftentimes, you parents will say “don’t talk to strangers.” My parents gave me the exact opposite advice. They told us to talk to strangers and who they were referring to were the customers in our dining room. They wanted us to meet them and hear their stories. It taught me not to be afraid of people who were different than me, but also not to be afraid of asking questions.

Robert: You discovered a fundamental truth about cooking. This is simplified, but the "least little difference can have a huge impact on the outcome of the dish." How did that realization shape how you interact with the world around you?

As one of the smaller kids in class, it gave me the confidence to interact with the bigger kids. I felt that I could hold my own weight.

Jeffrey: Another observation: "To get a good education, you just have to put up with a little discrimination." Tell us about that and your family's decision to "weigh the kids' future against the present" and how you think they were strong and resilient enough to make difficult decisions as an investment in the future.

For my parents, education was the pathway out of the working class. They pushed us to prioritize our studies and to get good grades on our report cards. When we moved to the suburbs that were 98% White, we faced a lot of discrimination, both in school and out. Our house was the victim of vandals at least every other month – eggs on garage door, our mailbox being smashed, our windows being shot with a bb gun. But the schools were the best rated in the state, so my parents told us to just ignore it and get that education.

Robert: “Friends are temporary, but family is forever.” How does that early life lesson square with you?

Those were words that my mom used to say whenever she wouldn’t let us go out to play with the kids from school. Instead, she told us to play with our siblings or cousins. As a gay person, I don’t know how much I believe that, especially since we often create our own chosen families.

Jeffrey: I love the story about Yul Brenner's visit to Chung's. Will you tell us how this international movie star helped you see your own father as a true hero?

My dad always felt that Chinese restaurants didn’t get their due, compared to other well-known cuisines like French or Italian. So, when this Oscar-winning actor decided to book our restaurant for the private cast party for his Broadway musical that was in town, my dad was ecstatic. He felt vindicated. He spent the whole week making the place sparkle. But when Yul Brynner was a dick to the entire wait staff, I realized that the true idol was my dad, the Chinese waiter who worked so hard to make sure everyone had a good time.

Robert: There is an order to life in a Chinese-American culture. Family comes first, then there's a generational hierarchy, and, finally, the individual is the least of these priorities. How does this square with "For here or to go?" as both a practical question for restaurant patrons and also a philosophical question for those of us who search for a world to which we can belong?

I think being an individual and part of a community are compatible. Everything in moderation, right? For instance, when you decide that you want to come out, do it for yourself, but also think of the impact that it might have on other people. I guess that should teach people to be more compassionate.

Curtis Chin 陳國材 Writer/Producer/Director/Activist

“This “vivid, moving, funny, and heartfelt” memoir tells the story of Curtis Chin’s time growing up as a gay Chinese American kid in 1980’s Detroit.”- Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers