THE NEW YORKER: THE KITCHEN NETWORK
By: Lauren Hilgers
|
"In the U.S., the Fujianese took restaurant jobs, learned the trade, and saved up to buy out their owners or to open restaurants of their own. The restaurants were concentrated in big cities, but, as competition grew, enterprising immigrants moved away, in search of greater profits. 'Previously, if you were looking for a job, it was inside Chinatown or Queens, so people just recommended each other,' Peter Kwong, a professor of Asian-American studies at Hunter College, in New York, said. As Chinese restaurants spread across the country, employment agencies cropped up to link them together."
|
SUMMARY: The article, The Kitchen Network, explores the experiences of Chinese immigrants and the employment agencies and networks established to aid the new-comers seeking work in America. This agency helped immigrants like Rain, a twenty-nine-year-old from China, find a job at a small Chinese restaurant in Maryland. He was originally born in rural China. He had left his family, walked through a desert, and gone tens of thousands of dollars into debt to reach the United States. The intertwined restaurant agencies, made up an underground network--supported by employment agencies, immigrant hostels, and expensive asylum lawyers. This network made it possible for many immigrants, starting from nothing, to become financially stable and create personal contacts in America.
ANALYSIS: Many immigrants had come to America, seeking jobs that could provide income to later be sent back to families in their countries of origin. Therefore, many sought a temporary arrangement. For example, Rain's boss had a wife and children back in China, that he sent money to periodically. Many immigrant restaurant workers had the opportunity to progress in their careers, by learning the trade and eventually buying out their owners or opening up their own restaurants. Essentially, many immigrants were able to achieve upward mobility by creating small businesses that supply jobs to the economy. Therefore, the networking programs were (and still are) beneficial to immigrants because it provides a foundation for new-comers that leads to upward mobility in the future. This has yielded positive affects for national prosperity because it has provided low-paid immigrants with the opportunity to network and become successful in society. Thus, immigrants can become a contributing member to the American economy.
ANALYSIS: Many immigrants had come to America, seeking jobs that could provide income to later be sent back to families in their countries of origin. Therefore, many sought a temporary arrangement. For example, Rain's boss had a wife and children back in China, that he sent money to periodically. Many immigrant restaurant workers had the opportunity to progress in their careers, by learning the trade and eventually buying out their owners or opening up their own restaurants. Essentially, many immigrants were able to achieve upward mobility by creating small businesses that supply jobs to the economy. Therefore, the networking programs were (and still are) beneficial to immigrants because it provides a foundation for new-comers that leads to upward mobility in the future. This has yielded positive affects for national prosperity because it has provided low-paid immigrants with the opportunity to network and become successful in society. Thus, immigrants can become a contributing member to the American economy.