Author Curtis Chin’s memoir explores the complexities of identity, belonging, and the immigrant experience in America through the lens of his Chinese American upbringing in Detroit.
In his memoir, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, Curtis Chin offers a warm, humorous, and deeply reflective account of growing up as a Chinese American and gay individual in mid-1980s Detroit. The narrative unfolds against a backdrop of economic hardship, racial tension, and social change, ultimately posing a significant question: Who gets to define what it means to be American?
During a conversation hosted by American Community Media on May 22, Chin discussed themes of immigration, identity, and the struggle for belonging in America. He grew up in Detroit during a tumultuous period marked by racial and economic challenges, including the infamous murder of Vincent Chin, which was one of the first recorded hate crimes in the city.
Chin’s family restaurant, Chung’s, serves as a central motif in his memoir. It represents not only a place of business but also a symbol of resilience and belonging in a city grappling with the decline of the auto industry, racial unrest, the crack cocaine epidemic, and the AIDS crisis. “I grew up in a Chinese restaurant,” Chin reflects, “not just any Chinese restaurant, but the Chinese restaurant in Detroit.”
As he embarks on a book tour that spans 350 appearances in 10 countries, Chin engages audiences by asking a thought-provoking question: “How many egg rolls do you think we sold in 65 years?” The astonishing answer is 10 million, each handmade by family members, including his grandmother, aunties, and mother. Despite the surrounding hardships, Chin fondly recalls his family restaurant as “a delicious place to grow up.”
Chin’s gratitude toward his parents permeates the memoir. He describes writing the book as a way to thank them for teaching him and his siblings how to navigate the world. It also serves as “a hat tip” to Detroit, a city he believes is often misunderstood. Rather than portraying Detroit solely through the lens of violence and decline, Chin presents it as a complex, resilient city filled with potential.
The memoir is thoughtfully structured around the Chinese belief that the number 888 symbolizes good fortune. Chin divides the book into three sections, each containing eight stories that reflect his journey from elementary school through college. These narratives not only chart his coming of age but also trace the evolution of America’s understanding of identity, race, and belonging.
Unlike many narratives centered on Chinese Americans from the West Coast, Chin’s family history begins in the Midwest. His ancestors arrived in the United States in the late 1800s, with his great-great-grandfather, Gong Le Chin, initially traveling from Canton, China, to Canton, Ohio, before settling in Detroit as the auto industry began to flourish.
The memoir opens with a poignant family history: “Welcome to Chung’s. Is this for here or to go?” Armed with a smile and a red waiter’s jacket with a perpetual plum sauce stain, that’s how Chin’s father greeted every new face who entered their restaurant. Generations earlier, Gong Le Chin stood alone on a cold dock in Guangzhou, China, contemplating the uncertain future that awaited his family.
This journey mirrors the broader immigrant experience in America. Facing discrimination and limited job opportunities, Gong Le Chin opened a hand laundry, one of the few options available to Chinese immigrants at the time. His ownership of a business became crucial after the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which severely restricted Chinese immigration. Business owners were among the few exceptions allowed to sponsor relatives, enabling Chin’s family to remain in America and build a future.
Over the years, the family established grocery stores, restaurants, and eventually Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine in 1940, which is central to Chin’s memoir. Concurrently, the country was undergoing significant social upheaval. During the civil rights era, Detroit experienced intense unrest, with Chin recalling, “Cities were burning down,” prompting the National Guard to restore order. Yet, amid violence and uncertainty, his family built a life, raised six children, and created a thriving business.
For Chin, this narrative reflects an essential aspect of America itself: the ongoing struggle to expand the definition of who belongs. His memoir emphasizes the idea that America thrives because of its immigrants. During a traditional Ching Ming tomb-sweeping gathering, he reflects, “I thought my family succeeded because of America, but America also succeeded because of my family.”
Chin challenges the common stereotype that immigrants merely “come and take.” He argues that immigrants have historically strengthened the country economically, culturally, and socially, asserting that America would not be the same without them.
This belief shapes Chin’s understanding of his identity. He does not view being Asian and being American as mutually exclusive. “I fully accept this term Asian-American,” he states, embracing both identities rather than questioning how much of each he possesses.
However, he acknowledges that prejudice persists. Chin points out that many stereotypes directed at Asian Americans today echo those faced by his ancestors over a century ago, including accusations of being perpetual foreigners who cannot truly assimilate.
He references the tragic murder of Vincent Chin during the anti-Japanese backlash of the 1980s, where a Chinese American celebrating his upcoming wedding was brutally killed by two white auto workers blaming Asians for job losses in the auto industry. The attackers received a mere $3,000 fine and no jail time.
For Chin, the stereotypes that fueled such violence still exist. Yet he believes the Asian American community has evolved significantly. Today, he observes, there are Asian American journalists, politicians, nonprofit leaders, businesspeople, and artists advocating for their communities and challenging discrimination in ways that were not possible decades ago.
This progress instills hope in Chin. “I know we’re living through some very dark times right now,” he admits, “but I try to be hopeful.”
What fuels his optimism is the enduring belief in America as a land of opportunity—a country still striving, albeit imperfectly, toward democracy and inclusion. He argues that democracy and multiculturalism are not self-sustaining achievements; they require ongoing effort and participation.
For Chin, this continuous struggle is integral to the American narrative. “We’re all trying to define what it means to be American together,” he asserts. “We’re not all going to come up with the same answers.”
In this sense, being American transcends fitting into a singular identity. It involves participating in a shared experiment—one shaped by immigrants, diverse cultures, competing histories, and the belief that people from various backgrounds can collaboratively forge a common future.
According to India Currents, Chin’s memoir serves as a poignant reminder of the immigrant experience and the ongoing quest for belonging in America.