My whole family owns/operates/works in Chinese restaurants so lemme tell you:
-We chop all our vegetables FRESH
-We butcher our own chicken from whole chickens (we strip the breasts/tenders from the torso; we debone the thigh meat)
-We use the bones to make chicken stock for our soups
-We roast our own pork/ribs in an in-house smoker
-We peel and devein all of our shrimp BY HAND (this is what i did as a kid)
-We make our own dumplings/wontons/egg roll/spring rolls/breaded shrimp BY HAND (none of these are frozen)
-We used to make our own dumpling dough from scratch, but it was a lot of work and we switched to premade but many other places still do this
-All sauces and marinates are made by hand (no premade/store bought)
-All gravy is made by hand from scratch
-All soups are made from scratch
-Egg Foo Young takes FOREVER TO MAKE (there are like 7 different steps and you can only make one order at a time)
-An average take out restaurant has 3-6 employees (oftentimes family)
-Most employees work 6 days a week/60-70 hours a week
-Many employees live with their employers, sometimes very far away from their families (ie a father sending money back to his wife and kids in China)
-Owners (such as my parents) usually work 7 days a week, 364 days a year (we close on thanksgiving)
-Oftentimes kids will be helping out/hanging around bc they can’t afford childcare (I’ve been cashiering since i was 10)
SO WITH ALL THIS IN MIND, it’s really hurtful when someone complains about our prices. Averaging $5-$10/person (which is FAST FOOD LEVEL PRICES), the food you get has fresh vegetables, fresh meat, no weird preservatives—all cooked to order.
“HOW MUCH did you say this cost??? WHEEEEW!”
“You’re taking all my money!”
“(Asks for extra thing) Why does that cost extra?”
“So what do i get for free for spending $20?”
“How’s your pork made? It ain’t dog meat, is it?”
—all hurtful things I’ve personally heard and had to grin and bear
For some reason, it seems people don’t respect Chinese restaurants. You would never treat a Western-owned restaurant like this. Even places like PF Chang and Panda Express (who DO NOT use fresh ingredients) can overcharge out the wazoo but no one complains because they’re oftentimes being served by Western faces.
It really hurts for people to act like my family’s hard work isn’t worth anything to them.
Treat your locally owned business with respect. Treat your Chinese restaurants with respect. Really think about the food you’re getting and all the work that goes into it. Think of all the hard working people behind bringing you this meal you’re about to enjoy, a meal you didn’t have to prepare (this goes for fast food too).
Above all else, TREAT OTHER HUMAN BEINGS WITH BASIC DIGNITY.
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