I grew up in northern New Jersey and our neighbors at one point were, in retrospect, almost certainly Chinese restaurant workers in a group living situation. There were 6-8 men living together in a small house. Every morning a van would come by to pick them up and take them somewhere, returning them in the evening. They never mowed the lawn and periodically would get code enforcement called on them for it.
~100 years ago, my ancestors left their Hakka village in Guangdong for Malaya. They were desperately poor. They boarded overcrowded ships, bonded themselves into indentured servitude, suffered for years, and made a life for themselves. What you're saying here is that this migration wave never stopped. It is still continuing all over the world today. I wish people didn't have to do this, but they're seeking a better life for themselves. That is to be admired.
Clarification is you please. Did you say that most of the cooks make $5000 a month while living in the US. That seems sort of high, even for New York. Are they perhaps working 60 hours a week? If so, that would make sense now that I think about it.
I got this number from reading classifieds on a Chinese online forum popular with restaurant workers. The $5k is for the "head cook", the fried wok cook and the kitchen help don't get to this level. Hours per week is actually closer to 80 (10am to 11pm with short breaks in the afternoon 6 days a week).
I grew up in northern New Jersey and our neighbors at one point were, in retrospect, almost certainly Chinese restaurant workers in a group living situation. There were 6-8 men living together in a small house. Every morning a van would come by to pick them up and take them somewhere, returning them in the evening. They never mowed the lawn and periodically would get code enforcement called on them for it.
~100 years ago, my ancestors left their Hakka village in Guangdong for Malaya. They were desperately poor. They boarded overcrowded ships, bonded themselves into indentured servitude, suffered for years, and made a life for themselves. What you're saying here is that this migration wave never stopped. It is still continuing all over the world today.
I wish people didn't have to do this, but they're seeking a better life for themselves. That is to be admired.
Clarification is you please. Did you say that most of the cooks make $5000 a month while living in the US. That seems sort of high, even for New York. Are they perhaps working 60 hours a week? If so, that would make sense now that I think about it.
I got this number from reading classifieds on a Chinese online forum popular with restaurant workers. The $5k is for the "head cook", the fried wok cook and the kitchen help don't get to this level. Hours per week is actually closer to 80 (10am to 11pm with short breaks in the afternoon 6 days a week).
The cost of a dream of a better life
That's so sad. Those poor people. I wish I knew how to help.
I always leave more tips when I go out to eat now, even picking up takeout.