Chinese Takeaway Kids

Cindy Zheng
Chinese Takeaway Kids

Chinese takeout is the quintessential comfort food we all resort to. But have you ever wondered about the little kid sitting in the corner of the restaurant doing homework or the teenager taking your order when you go to a Chinese takeout? What’s their story? This podcast invites Chinese-Americans to talk about their experiences growing up in family-run Chinese restaurants. My parents are immigrants who moved from China to America in the late 1990s and practically raised my siblings and me in our small Chinese takeout. This podcast was created to preserve the stories of an overlooked generation of resilient Chinese-Americans and their families running this particular industry. For inquiries, please email cz.zheng1@gmail.com. Follow us on instagram @chinesetakeawaykids for updates on new episode releases :)

Episodes

  1. Episode 10: Unveiling the chronicles of restaurant customers

    13/08/2023

    Episode 10: Unveiling the chronicles of restaurant customers

    On this episode, I sit down for a raw talk with my sister, Jen, about our crazy encounters with restaurant customers. We talk about various things from witnessing fights, armed robberies, working during hurricanes, and etc. Tune in to hear us talk about our customer icks and favorite customers, hope you all enjoy!  … and that’s a wrap to season one. I’m so grateful for being able to share the stories of hardworking families in the restaurant industry and the people that I’ve gotten a chance to connect with along the way. Thanks for listening and supporting this podcast. See y’all next season!🥠🥢 Follow Chinese Takeaway Kids on instagram for new episode releases https://www.instagram.com/chinesetakeawaykids/

    40 min
  2. Episode 9: Running a Chinese takeout in the Midwest

    26/05/2023

    Episode 9: Running a Chinese takeout in the Midwest

    On this episode I chat with Yan about her family’s experience running a Chinese takeout in Midwest. Yan talks about what it was like growing up in a predominately white area and being the only one of two Chinese restaurants in her small town. Hope you all enjoy this episode! Follow Chinese Takeaway Kids on instagram for new episode releases https://www.instagram.com/chinesetakeawaykids/  Send me a message! I would love to hear your thoughts and inquiries: cz.zheng1@gmail.com

    55 min
  3. Episode 8: 1970s/80s Gen X restaurant kid

    11/04/2023

    Episode 8: 1970s/80s Gen X restaurant kid

    On this episode I chat with Cedric Yeh about his experience growing up at his family’s Chinese restaurant in the 1970s/80s. As a 80s kid without a smart phone, Cedric created interesting adventures for himself at the restaurant. Also, Eisenhower’s grandson and Nixon’s granddaughter who were dating at the time reportedly hung out at his family’s restaurant and was frequented by the secret service. He shares many more anecdotes on this episode, hope you all enjoy! Follow Chinese Takeaway Kids on instagram for new episode releases https://www.instagram.com/chinesetakeawaykids/  Send me a message! I would love to hear your thoughts and inquiries: cz.zheng1@gmail.com

    43 min
  4. Episode 7: The history of Chinese food in America

    20/03/2023

    Episode 7: The history of Chinese food in America

    🥡 fun fact: according to the Chinese American Restaurant Association, there are over 45,000 Chinese restaurants currently in operation across the United States. This number is greater than all the McDonald’s, KFCs, Pizza Huts, Taco Bells and Wendy’s combined. On this episode I chat with Professor Yong Chen about the history of Chinese food in America and how the industry preserved through racial injustice and became mainstream in American culture. Hope you all enjoy this episode!🥠🥢 Learn more about Professor Yong Chen's book here: ⁠http://cup.columbia.edu/book/chop-suey-usa/9780231168922 ⁠  Follow Chinese Takeaway Kids on instagram for new episode releases: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/chinesetakeawaykids/⁠ Send me a message! I would love to hear your thoughts and inquiries: ⁠cz.zheng1@gmail.com

    47 min
  5. Episode 6: Life lessons from growing up in my family’s restaurant

    21/02/2023

    Episode 6: Life lessons from growing up in my family’s restaurant

    There’s always that one incident that happens at the restaurant that makes a takeout kid go “damn, I really screwed up” and leaves a imprint in our life that we’ll never forget. On this episode I chat with Will about the life changing moment for us at the restaurant and the life lessons learned (and things we had to unlearn) from our family restaurant. Hope you all enjoy this episode! Follow Chinese Takeaway Kids on instagram for new episode releases https://www.instagram.com/chinesetakeawaykids/ Support the podcast: https://anchor.fm/chinese-takeaway-kids/support Send me a message! I would love to hear your thoughts and inquiries: cz.zheng1@gmail.com

    47 min
  6. Episode 5: Journey of emotional healing

    25/01/2023

    Episode 5: Journey of emotional healing

    Growing up mental health issues we never really talked about mental health in our family because it was seen as a taboo topic. Cultural differences, language barriers, and time constraints also played a role. In this episode, I chat with Anna Lin who is a mental health counselor based in New York City about how the takeaway experience affects our mental health, relationship with our parents, and the healing process. Hope you all enjoy! Disclaimer: The content on this episode is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek the advice of a mental health professional with any questions about your condition. Follow Chinese Takeaway Kids on instagram for new episode releases https://www.instagram.com/chinesetakeawaykids/ Link to schedule consultations with Anna: https://www.huitingkok.com/about-anna/ Support the podcast: https://anchor.fm/chinese-takeaway-kids/support Send me a message! I would love to hear your thoughts and inquiries: cz.zheng1@gmail.com

    43 min
  7. Episode 4: Working at a Chinese restaurant over the holidays

    27/12/2022

    Episode 4: Working at a Chinese restaurant over the holidays

    I hope everyone is having a great holiday! I am back home for the holidays, and you know what that means….I’ll be buried in the deep trenches of my parent’s restaurant. While most American restaurants and stores are closed on Christmas and New Year, Chinese restaurants are usually open for business. The holidays are one of the busiest times for Chinese takeouts, which means all hands on deck and no stop grind. In this episode, Xue and I chat about what it’s like working at a Chinese restaurant during the holidays. Don’t forget to tip your local Chinese restaurant this holiday season and have a bit more understanding for them during this busy time! I hope you all enjoy, and cheers to the new year🥳🥂 Follow Chinese Takeaway Kids on instagram for new episode releases :) https://www.instagram.com/chinesetakeawaykids/ Check out videos of Xue dancing at her family's takeout on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@xuee.s Send me a message! I would love to hear your thoughts and inquiries: cz.zheng1@gmail.com

    45 min
  8. Episode 3: Tips on personal finance management from growing up at a Chinese takeout

    13/12/2022

    Episode 3: Tips on personal finance management from growing up at a Chinese takeout

    Since graduating college, I’ve been working on better managing my finances. I can’t help but hear my mom’s voice nagging me about cooking more instead of ordering food on Uber and questioning if I really need that other sweater that’s sitting in my online shopping cart. This time I sat down with Anna Wang to chat about what growing up as a takeaway kid taught her about personal finance management as an adult and how her parents inspired her to write a book on personal finances for young adults! Check out Anna’s book, available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/91Xyemq Follow Chinese Takeaway Kids podcast on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chinesetakeawaykids/ Would love to hear your thoughts & inquires: cz.zheng1@gmail.com

    44 min
  9. Episode 2: My dream vs. My parent's American dream

    28/11/2022

    Episode 2: My dream vs. My parent's American dream

    In this episode, Brian Tso and I chat about how his parent's American Dream differs from his goals in life and how helping out at his parent's Chinese restaurant helped him understand the interconnectedness of the both.

    43 min
  10. Episode 1: Who are Chinese takeaway kids?

    15/11/2022

    Episode 1: Who are Chinese takeaway kids?

    Welcome to Chinese takeaway kids! In this episode, podcast host Cindy describes the mission of this podcast, recalls with her sister the pleasures and pains of growing up in their family's Chinese takeout and provides a glimpse into the intriguing lives of Chinese takeaway kids.

    42 min
  • 10 Episodes

About

Chinese takeout is the quintessential comfort food we all resort to. But have you ever wondered about the little kid sitting in the corner of the restaurant doing homework or the teenager taking your order when you go to a Chinese takeout? What’s their story? This podcast invites Chinese-Americans to talk about their experiences growing up in family-run Chinese restaurants. My parents are immigrants who moved from China to America in the late 1990s and practically raised my siblings and me in our small Chinese takeout. This podcast was created to preserve the stories of an overlooked generation of resilient Chinese-Americans and their families running this particular industry. For inquiries, please email cz.zheng1@gmail.com. Follow us on instagram @chinesetakeawaykids for updates on new episode releases :)

Information

  • Creator
    Cindy Zheng
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2023
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Cindy Zheng
  • Show Website
    Chinese Takeaway Kids

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