Posted by John Jung on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The story of the Chinese family restaurants outside of North America is remarkably similar in other parts of the world where the Chinese diaspora of the mid to late 19th century spread. Barbara Nichol has written about the history of Chinese restaurants in Melbourne, Australia from 1830-1950. "The restaurant industry was central to the way many in the Chinese
community supported themselves and their families back in China over the
early decades. Return visits home and the opportunity to develop
migration patterns reinforced culture, perpetuating and strengthening
the dominance of Cantonese cuisine in Victoria. Forced at the turn of
the century into one of the few occupational avenues available to them,
the Chinese developed highly successful and enduring businesses which
have made a significant economic and cultural contribution to Australia."In Nichol's 2010 Melbourne Chinese Studies Group seminar presentation, "Chinese restaurant children: negotiating Australian lives," she noted that ‘Restaurant children’ recognised the importance of fulfilling the
obligations of their Chinese heritage, yet at the same time were
negotiating their futures as Australians. They tend not to be described
as ‘pioneers’, yet in many ways their struggles were just as valiant and
the obstacles they negotiated were no less daunting.
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