Chinese in Niagara Falls ON

After a long day working with my father at the restaurant, my mother would take a bus downtown, get off at City Hall and walk the two blocks home. Sometimes, a bus driver who recognized my mother would extend a kindness and let her off at the corner of Erie and Park instead. Although she would have likely preferred a simple supper -  a bowl of rice, steamed salty fish, and a green -  she indulged my brother and I by preparing some fancier Chinese dish that we liked.  Yet, I know very little about Chinese foodstuffs. Mother made dinner on her own while my brother and I attended to homework from school. That was the priority in our household. When I left home, it was kind of exotic adventure and remembrance of home to venture into Toronto Chinatown, find a Chinese grocery store that looked welcoming, and squeeze along narrow aisles; scanning the crowded shelves for a product I recognized and knew how to cook. Sheets of dried bean curd, vermicelli rice n...

New World Cafe In elementary school, we were taught that the "New World" is what Christopher Columbus and other explorers were seeking. Accordingly, New World had a very European connotation. However,  Gum Shan or "Gold Mountain" is what Chinese referred to North America as. Curious, but understandable that my father's first restaurant was called New World Lunch instead of Gum Shan . At the same time, I don't know if my father himself, or with consultation, named the business. Previously it had been called the  Frisco Cafe. The Frisco Cafe  owner had been assaulted and seriously injured. While he was recovering, the place sat empty for some time. My father acquired it in 1941. Just before that, he had been working at the King Edward Hotel and rooming at 232 Park Street. Situated at 1717 Victoria Avenue, New World was across the street from the last station of the Michigan Central Railway; bringing visitors and workers alike. In 1942, th...

Very little information is readily available about the Chung family.  A traceable thread of their story comes via the King George Café; however, the café itself has unclear beginnings. A Chinese Restaurant was located at 27 Erie Avenue as early as 1912. From 1918 to 1924, the restaurant was listed as the King George Café but by 1926 a restaurant by that same name had moved to 541 Erie Avenue. From 1927 to 1944, though, a King George Café, located at 220 Bridge Street, was owned and operated by HONG CHUNG. Was this a move of location and owner/operator or just transfer of name? I don’t know. The city directories associate no names with either Erie Avenue locations. The 1921 Canada Census lists only one individual who could possibly be the Hong Chung who came to Niagara Falls. This Hong Chung was listed as a single male, aged 30 living in Ottawa, ON. He immigrated to Canada in 1918. His occupation was listed as proprietor of a laundry. ...

Neither the city directories nor census records offer much insight into the work and personal lives of Niagara Falls residents. 1911 census did record more information about work life in terms of hours worked per week, weeks employed in 1910, as well as total earnings. However, the information required for the 1921 census was less specific. Similar to the 1911 census, earnings for the preceding year were recorded; however, the number of hours, days, or weeks worked was not requested. Consequently, inferences about wages in terms of one employer paying more than another, or certain employees being treated differentially, or if room and/or board were deducted cannot be made. At the same time, entries are often illegible or omitted. Many Chinese men indicated that they were married but clearly their wives were not living with them. There was one exception gleaned from the 1911 census. HARRY CHON lived with his wife, Rebecca Chon (b.1889, imm.1908) and their daughter, ...