Person A immigrated to the United States with her family when she was in middle school. From harsh labor in the cutthroat sewing factory workplace to the improved working conditions in Chinese American To-go restaurants, Person A tells of her family’s transition from one occupation to another. Her father started as a Help to a Cook with the help of his relatives and when Person A’s family finally saved enough money to start their own Chinese American takeout restaurant, the family worked together. Those with physical strength would perform tasks such as mopping the floor with a heavy mop while those with conversational English language skills would take orders as the Cashier. Person A is known in her family as the relative who will spend a lot of her free time helping her relatives with immigration or business paperworks or completing tasks they might not be able to perform, such as responsibilities that require English proficiency.
The two interviews were conducted a year apart.