Chinese in Niagara Falls ON

With the beginning 1940s came a surge of Chinese into food services in Niagara Falls.  Such an influx was surprising as World War II efforts had slowed tourism in Niagara Falls and industry focused on a wartime economy but people continued to dine out. Hotels continued to hire Chinese cooks and others found work in Chinese-operated restaurants. The following list compiled from city directories is not exhaustive. The organization of the directories made it difficult, if not impossible, to follow individuals or track businesses over the years. Names and/or years may have been overlooked as I just ran out of time during my June 2017 stay in Niagara Falls. The record for King George Cafe (1927 to 1944) operated by Hong Chung is addressed in a separate post as is  New World Lunch (1941 to 1950) operated by my father and his different business partners. In addition, "chop suey" restaurants are discussed in another post. 1940 592 Park Street:  HUGH SE...

At the completion of the CPR when so many Chinese workers found themselves cut adrift without a livelihood, the other fallback occupation besides laundryman was café owner/operator. Like laundry work, running a restaurant was generally acceptable to the broader society and required more easily attainable skills and knowledge as well as less start-up investment. In “Chop Suey Nation,” a two-part feature article for the Globe and Mail (May 19, 2017), Ann Hui drove “across the country to uncover immigrant history – and vibrant present – of small-town Chinese-Canadian food.” On her journey, she visits 17 Chinese restaurants from Vancouver Island to Fogo Island, Newfoundland and invites us to “Meet the restaurateurs.” Underlying the promise of a livelihood in these restaurant stories are personal experiences of hardships (long hours, low monetary return, absence from family members, cultural isolation) and cultural change (relationships with patrons, adapting to food preferences ...

“ Images in Time and Mind” is a piece I wrote in the mid-90s. Although the story is a fiction set in the Prairies, I feel it has a place in this blog. “Family exists only because somebody has a story and  knowing the story connects us to a history.” ~Fae Myenne Ng Sam crouched and held out his arms. The young child took his first halting steps and tumbled into a father’s embrace. Sam swung the child high in the air. For a moment, Sam could not see his son’s face eclipsing the morning sun. For a moment, Sam caught the glee in his son’s eyes. In another moment, his son was gone. The cramp in his neck was a reminder of how unpleasant it was to fall asleep sitting upright. Sam shifted his body and allowed his head to drop to the counter. He struggled to find himself once again in the dream, but the persistent yowling from outside brought him to reality. Ordinarily, he was glad to hear the tom announce himself. The wailing signaled a few moments of kinshi...

Photography was a luxury in the pre-digital age. Film and processing were expensive for most people. Consequently, p hotos from my childhood are rare.  Among the few that remain, I value this one. I do not know if my father paid for it or if it was a gift to commemorate a special event held at the General Brock Hotel. As a child, what I liked about the above photo was it had been framed with its own matting and professional lettering declaring "Kuomintang" -- Chinese faces and English wording. I didn't see that often. I also liked that it was hung on our wall without having an assortment of photos of distant relatives crowded along the edges of the frame. This photo had an authority, deserving a place of its own. The face of the man on far left is familiar but I've forgotten his name. I've been told he is CHARLIE FONG . I know the face but I don't remember him. My father is standing second from the left. He is wearing a suit. I don't recall m...

It was an amusing coincidence to have my father’s name, Sam Lee, on a laundry he had no connection with but it was darn awkward telling teachers (for those were the outside adults whom I was mainly exposed to) that my father had a restaurant but he did not serve Chinese food. It seemed as if I had disappointed them somehow: I was not real Chinese? Lily Cho (2010), in Eating Chinese: Culture on the Menu in Small Town Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press), proposes that what’s on a menu is about attracting business and at the same time the menu items reflect a self-narrative about Chineseness. Through the lens of critical theory and post-colonialism, my father’s menu of eggs, bacon, sausages or ham, pan fries and toast; plain or deluxe (meaning with condiments) hamburgers and cheeseburgers; a side of fries, with or without gravy; hot beef sandwiches, pork chops, liver and onions, and even T-bone steaks - all served with mashed potatoes, gravy and tinned peas; “home mad...