Chinese Takeaway Kids
by Cindy Zheng
Chinese takeout is the quintessential comfort food we all resort to. But have you ever wondered about the little kid sitting in the corner of the restaurant doing homework or the teenager taking your order when you go to a Chinese takeout? What’s their story? This podcast invites Chinese-Americans to talk about their experiences growing up in family-run Chinese restaurants. My parents are immigrants who moved from China to America in the late 1990s and practically raised my siblings and me in our small Chinese takeout. This podcast was created to preserve the stories of an overlooked generation of resilient Chinese-Americans and their families running this particular industry. For inquiries, please email [email protected]. Follow us on instagram @chinesetakeawaykids for updates on new episode releases :)
Episodes
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Episode 10: Unveiling the chronicles of restaurant customers
On this episode, I sit down for a raw talk with my sister, Jen, about our crazy encounters with restaurant customers. We talk about various things from witnessing fights, armed robberies, working during hurricanes, and etc. Tune in to hear us talk about our customer icks and favorite customers,...
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Episode 9: Running a Chinese takeout in the Midwest
On this episode I chat with Yan about her family’s experience running a Chinese takeout in Midwest. Yan talks about what it was like growing up in a predominately white area and being the only one of two Chinese restaurants in her small town. Hope you all enjoy this episode! Follow Chinese…
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Episode 8: 1970s/80s Gen X restaurant kid
On this episode I chat with Cedric Yeh about his experience growing up at his family’s Chinese restaurant in the 1970s/80s. As a 80s kid without a smart phone, Cedric created interesting adventures for himself at the restaurant. Also, Eisenhower’s grandson and Nixon’s granddaughter who were…
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Episode 7: The history of Chinese food in America
🥡 fun fact: according to the Chinese American Restaurant Association, there are over 45,000 Chinese restaurants currently in operation across the United States. This number is greater than all the McDonald’s, KFCs, Pizza Huts, Taco Bells and Wendy’s combined. On this episode I chat with…
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Episode 6: Life lessons from growing up in my family’s restaurant
There’s always that one incident that happens at the restaurant that makes a takeout kid go “damn, I really screwed up” and leaves a imprint in our life that we’ll never forget. On this episode I chat with Will about the life changing moment for us at the restaurant and the life lessons learned...
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Episode 5: Journey of emotional healing
Growing up mental health issues we never really talked about mental health in our family because it was seen as a taboo topic. Cultural differences, language barriers, and time constraints also played a role. In this episode, I chat with Anna Lin who is a mental health counselor based in New York...
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Episode 4: Working at a Chinese restaurant over the holidays
I hope everyone is having a great holiday! I am back home for the holidays, and you know what that means….I’ll be buried in the deep trenches of my parent’s restaurant. While most American restaurants and stores are closed on Christmas and New Year, Chinese restaurants are usually open for...
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Episode 3: Tips on personal finance management from growing up at a Chinese takeout
Since graduating college, I’ve been working on better managing my finances. I can’t help but hear my mom’s voice nagging me about cooking more instead of ordering food on Uber and questioning if I really need that other sweater that’s sitting in my online shopping cart. This time I sat down with...
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Episode 2: My dream vs. My parent's American dream
In this episode, Brian Tso and I chat about how his parent's American Dream differs from his goals in life and how helping out at his parent's Chinese restaurant helped him understand the interconnectedness of the both.
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Episode 1: Who are Chinese takeaway kids?
Welcome to Chinese takeaway kids! In this episode, podcast host Cindy describes the mission of this podcast, recalls with her sister the pleasures and pains of growing up in their family's Chinese takeout and provides a glimpse into the intriguing lives of Chinese takeaway kids.
About this show
Chinese takeout is the quintessential comfort food we all resort to. But have you ever wondered about the little kid sitting in the corner of the restaurant doing homework or the teenager taking your order when you go to a Chinese takeout? What’s their story? This podcast invites Chinese-Americans to talk about their experiences growing up in family-run Chinese restaurants. My parents are immigrants who moved from China to America in the late 1990s and practically raised my siblings and me in our small Chinese takeout. This podcast was created to preserve the stories of an overlooked generation of resilient Chinese-Americans and their families running this particular industry. For inquiries, please email [email protected]. Follow us on instagram @chinesetakeawaykids for updates on new episode releases :)
Hosted by
Cindy Zheng