In Chapter 3: The Work They Do, Foner mentions the typical job for Chinese men. I found this interesting because in Sewing Women, we focused only on the garment industry, which was the job of a woman. However, Foner goes into more detail about the men’s job in the restaurant and its rigid work schedules. It would have been interesting if Foner described what the typical workday for a male restaurant worker was. My uncle works as a chef in a restaurant and has mentioned how the conditions in the kitchen put workers at risk for certain health problems as well. Learning more about the “man’s job” would paint a more complete picture of the immigrant experience for a Chinese family in New York City.

One question I had was that if a man worked in a restaurant and performed tasks like dishwashing, waiting tables, or cooking, would he be more likely to do those tasks at home as well, rather than leaving it to the wife?

The way Foner mentions the restaurant industry also explains why Chinatown has so many restaurants. They catered first to the male sojourners who did not have women to cook for them and then later expanded to cater to the tourist industry. This makes sense and explains why Chinatown is packed with restaurants that offer all types of Chinese and Asian food in general.

-Wendy Li