In Weiside Chinese Station of Woodside, NY resides (for the day) Li Han-Mai. An immigrant of about 10 years from China,  Li Han-Mai works as a chef at the restaurant, and says that making food and serving people a piece of “his culture” has made his time in America worth the sacrifice and hardship.

Li moved to America in the early 2000s, and having worked as a higher-professional chef in China, moved to America with hopes of continuing his passion. While the noise made it hard to hear, it seems that he said his wife and him moved when they were young parents, and looked to start afresh, but life was never easy, and it still isn’t.

Upon being interviewed in the middle of his lunch rush-hour on a busy Monday, Li claims that this restaurant has been his only release from the daily stresses of life. “When I leave my home to come here”, he said, “I feel like I am free. I get to do what I like to do without the pressures, you know?”, as he put some fresh seasonings on steaming rice he was preparing.

“I feel like when I come to work, I am able to do what I enjoy and that has made coming to America much easier for me. I feel like if I was back in China, I would probably do the same [job] until now. But sharing my culture here with so many people is a very, very nice thing”, he replied when asked how he feels about his job.

Li is an assistant cook at this very tasty restaurant. Originally, I went to the Weiside Station because I was hungry myself, but Li caught my attention while yelling across the restaurant very loudly in Chinese, an incident that was shortly followed by a large outburst of laughter coming from the kitchen.

Li, with his slightly-above 5’5” stature and thin build, has more energy than most of us young ones do, and also, very obviously, has quite the zest for life. When he is not putting together dishes in the kitchen, he strolls out of the restaurant with a large smile for his cigarette break. In the pocket of his grease-stained off white apron holds a pack of Chinese cigarettes. One could infer that something about opening a box with Chinese writing to smoke a cigarette brings one closer to home than if he was to open one with English writing on it, but again, only a thought.

That being said, although Li is so joyful, he is reserved. He said that growing up with a strict father as a child made him to be strict with his kids too. But, he confesses, although his kids have grown up, he still expects the best of them. He says he wishes nothing but the best for them in school and beyond, and he appreciates all the opportunity America has given them.

Overall, my experience at Weiside was very delicious. As I enjoyed my vegetable lo mein and a broccoli with garlic, I was pleased to experience a few moments with Li. He reminded me of a relentless immigrant, and a happy one, who was able to find his happy place in New York City while still incorporating parts of his life from China into his current life.

The music turns on. She makes two consecutive step turns and poses elegantly with arms raised and fingers pointed, making eye contact with herself in the mirror. Then, she turns to her awaiting students and says, “2, 3, 4, 1,” clapping along to the beat of the music. Her students strike their first pose and continue their rumba routine as Ekaterina Sarkisian watches their arms and legs carefully.  

Ekaterina has been dancing ever since she was growing up in Russia. Rather than finding happiness at the park like her friends and siblings did, she spent all her childhood in her dancing shoes at the studio.

“I would never want to take off those shoes,” she recalled.

Now the only thing that has changed is her shoe size. Because the language of dance is universal, she is able to continue to spread her passion after moving to America. In her Latin dance shoes, she teaches at various dance studios in Bensonhurst. On Sundays, she is at Art Plaza Dance Studio, a much hidden treasure full of young, bright musicians and dancers, teaching hour-long classes from 11:00AM to 5:00PM to students ranging from as young as five-years-old to adults.

Although many of her students are Chinese-Americans, she still communicates the importance of every movement in each dance with her body language and broken English.

“Dance is not just feet. It is hands, hips, feet, everything,” she said as she used her whole body to reposition one of her student, Angela’s, pose as she was reviewing the rumba. Standing right behind her, Ekaterina stuck on of her foot on the inside of Angela’s, forcing her toes to point outwards while using her hands to support Angela’s back as she opened her shoulders to open widely and lean slightly back. She does this to every single student and reminds them to straighten their necks. Only when Ekaterina is satisfied with her all student’s poses does she continue to the next part.

“They all shy. Don’t shy, I say. I don’t bite,” she said, describing her students. “They’re good. They do ballet, piano, Latin, everything. Some of them even win competition.”

Ekaterina treats every student like her children who, which should go without saying, are also Latin dancers. They’re eight-and ten-years-old, but they are as enthusiastic about dance as their mom. Her smiles as she shows a video of them at a competition radiates just how proud she is of them. On the screen, her daughter is happily bouncing on her feet, making the samba come right to life with its traditional up-down, up-down bounce movement in every step.

Ten minutes before class ends, her students run through all the dances they have learned, which includes the cha-cha, samba, rumba, jive, and paso doble. Ekaterina watches each dance carefully.

“Samba needs more practice,” she concludes and makes a note to review that routine more the next week. Then it’s time for the students to take off their shoes and cool off with stretches, which seems to be harder than dancing to them. As their legs open to second position, Ekaterina goes to each individual student and pushes them until their chest is touching the floor. With some students, it comes easy, but with others, it comes with a price of forcing their minds to make their muscles relax. As her students struggle, she quietly compliments them, encouraging them to continue to push themselves further. Ekaterina’s words do not go to waste, as her students are able to spread their legs into splits with ease and grace.

And as each hour comes to an end, Ekaterina never forgets to bow to her students with a smile and a “Thank you, see you next Sunday!”

“Holaaa señores y señoras, ven aqui por comida deliciosaaaa”- these words reverberate and drown out all other noises echoing throughout the stretch of 82^nd street, Jackson Heights. Amid the honking cars and loud shouts of the busy intersection, stands Mr. Luis Lozano. Barely 5’6, the short statured man with the wide smile and grey beard commands attention and draws in everybody that walks by him.

His ear to ear grin and smooth talking skills make it very hard to just simply walk by him without at the very least stopping to see what he’s all about.  “Loudspeaker Lozano”, as he is known among the locals is a cooking sensation, serving up all kinds of Hispanic favorites on a daily basis. Although his cart, situated on the corner of 82^nd and Roosevelt avenue, may be small, his flavor is certainly not.

His traditional Hispanic delicacies have been a big hit among the people of Jackson Heights for over 15 years now. Children and adults alike love the sense of flare and spice Lozano brings into his cooking. Ecuadorian favorites such as juicy beef hot pockets- marinated tender steak stuffed in freshly made dough and slowly baked on the charcoal grill, are crowd favorites. Freshly pressed fruit juices with colorful umbrella straws sit atop the counter and add to the bold images of the red and yellow cart.

Small children run up to Mr. Lozano, as he graciously serves them big heaping’s of empanadas and churros in little brown bags. Christmas has come early for them, as their eyes light up upon receiving bags of freshly fried chifles, or green plantain chips. “My kids love them, its all they ask for when we come here” says one customer who makes the trip from Corona just to get a taste of Lozano’s food. “He’s great just look at the way those hips move” jokes another customer, as he nudges Mr. Lozano, sending the crowd into a wave of laughter.

When the day gets a little slow, the loudspeaker side of Mr. Lozano kicks in, as he throws on his oversized straw hat and colorful vest, sending the radio blasting with native Hispanic music. “It doesn’t matter to me that I look crazy, we all crazy” he says as he pours a fresh batter of fried plantains onto the sizzling hot oil. He breaks into little dances and footwork here and there, vibrating a true Hispanic flare all throughout the area. While his booming voice attracts the customers, his hands are the true money makers. With the speed of sound, he hastily dices and chops up the cooked chicken chunks, douses the beef strips with green and chili sauce, and squeezes the fresh mango pulp with one hand all while collecting money and shaking hands with the other hand.

Traditional Ecuadorian Hot Pocket

Born in Quito to an Ecuadorian mother and Peruvian father, Mr. Lozano moved to the United States when he was just 20 years old with the same hopes and dreams of many immigrants just like him. “I wanted to be a chef”, he says when reflecting back on his childhood dreams. It wasn’t long till the reality of immigration to the United States set in for him. Faced with the burden of taking care of his younger siblings and paying rent, he took matters into his own hands and decided to give cooking a shot. “The recipes were always in my head, in my heart, I know them from Ecuador- the hardest part was saving up enough money to buy this cart.” Working almost 15 hours a day in an Italian Deli in Corona was what it took to make Mr. Lozano’s dreams come true. The Lozano stand, as it is commonly referred to by the locals, made it debut in 2001 and has since passionately catered to the Hispanic community of Queens.

“This cart helping me connect to my roots and with (my) community everyday, I used to cook with my madre and this reminds me lot of her”, he says with a smile as he shows me a wallet sized photo of his family. Also, with his wife passing away 8 years ago, cooking has become of even more importance to his heart, as it is a way for him to remember her as well. Now 59 years old, Mr. Lozano has three children who are all grown up and established in the workforce. Between managing his busy cart and taking care of his little grandchildren, its fair to say that he’s a loudspeaker both at home and on the streets.

“I’m very happy with my life here, I love what I do” he says in an endearing tone before once again blasting the music, and shouting “comida fresca y delicioso aqui!!”. The footwork starts picking up again and the food goes flying up in the air, making the final landing into their designated brown paper bags. “Everyone here knows if they want to find me, I always be here” he says with a wink as he hands me a churro and gets back to busting his moves.

Walking down the bustling streets of Main Street, there is always something that meets the eye, whether it be the blinking lights of clothing stores or the aromatic fumes of the small Asian cafes. One of the hard to miss sights is the line extending from the Fay Da Bakery almost every morning.

The Fay Da Bakery is a Chinese bakery that offers an assortment of cakes, cookies, and breads as well as hot and cold beverages. If the food is as excellent as the service, there’s no surprise why the bakery already has seven other locations after being open for almost twenty years. Jiao Liang is one of the 40-year- old bakers that works at this local hotspot.

Jiao emits a motherly aura that hits you in the face as soon as you walk through the café doors. She has the brightest smiles and politely asks what she can help you with. She tends to your every request until you leave the door, which is when she waves excitedly by the exit and yells, “Please come again!”

When Jiao first came to America, she was brought here by her parents during her teenage years. Being an only child, she had a lot of pressure on her shoulders to make her family proud.

“My parents came to the America so that I could receive a better education, have a better life, and support them in their old age. They wanted me to become a doctor, but all I wanted to do was bake.”

Jiao’s mother was a housewife in China and whenever Jiao didn’t go to school, she would always stand next to her mom in the kitchen and learn how to make different Chinese pastries. Her love for baking blossomed when she started living in Flushing and saw all the different bakeries that were already established here.

Despite her parents’ big dreams of her becoming a doctor, she continued pursuing her wish of working in a bakery. In the beginning, she ran into financial troubles since her parents refused to fund her for following a passion that “would only lead to a dead end.” Once she had finished college, she started working as a dishwasher at a local restaurant.

Although at first Jiao’s prospects weren’t so high, she never lost her optimistic thoughts.

“Just like my parents were hopeful entering a different country where they knew nothing about the culture, I knew I had to hold the same attitude if I wanted things to work out.”

A few years went by and Jiao finally came across a job offering for a baking position at a new Chinese bakery. Now she continues to bake not only at the bakery, but also at home for her husband and two daughters. During her days off, she tries teaching her children how to bake and experiments with new recipes that she thinks her regular customers might enjoy.

Jiao has been working at Fay Da for ten years now and she is still brimming with happiness everyday when she gets up to go to work even after such a long span of time has passed. From the energy she gives off to every customer she interacts with, you can tell she is glad that she didn’t pursue her parents’ dreams, but rather chased after her own.

It’s time for your checkup. Wait 30 minutes to an hour in a waiting room and fill out forms. Then wait another hour for the doctor to be ready to see you. Then see the doctor for 4.5 minutes, try explaining any issues to him or her, and then proceed to be politely shoved out of the office to make room for the next patient.

Although this (unfortunately) seems to be the case for most people vying for their doctor’s attention, Dr. Cecilia Chang wishes to change that.

Known lovingly as “Dr. Chatty” by her patients and fellow staff members, Chang is currently a physician-in-training, working as a second-year pediatric medicine resident at a reputable hospital in Queens. She hates the factory-like environment of a hospital, where one patient sees a doctor, they speak for five minutes, and the next patient comes in.

“The whole experience of being in a hospital with an ailment is tough on anybody, and with a machine-like doctor, can be almost unbearable,” Chang explains. “Being a doctor isn’t about the paycheck you get at the end of the day, or how many patients you’ve cured; being a doctor is about being devoted to my patients and their lives.”

She combats this mechanical mentality of medicine by taking extra time to each of her patients on an individual basis.

“I try taking extra time to talk to them to really get to know them past their illness.”

Chang contributes her talkative behavior to her upbringing and family life.

Born to a Fujianese family in Schenectady, New York, Chang grew up with her parents’ high expectations always in her mind.

“My parents came to America with the mindset that their kids need to get the highest education possible. That’s why my brothers – one a pharmacist, one a lawyer – and I all got doctorates in our respective fields.”

Chang grew up with “TCM” or “Traditional Chinese Medicine.” She claims her parents were very old school and grew up with the mentality that herbal medicine and acupuncture were the key to solve any illness. Although when Chang was hospitalized with acute asthma exacerbation at a very young age, her parents had to learn to assimilate.

“My parents learned quickly with that experience that some medicines that are a part of the western world are necessary.”

And with this experience, Chang’s love for medicine grew.

After volunteering at a children’s hospital, Chang also realized she loved talking to people and getting to know them. She attributes that aspect of her personality to her life growing up as the “forgotten middle child” of her family.

“As a middle child I was ignored from time to time,” she said, chuckling. “So now I make sure to give my patients enough time to speak, unlike how I was treated back in the day.”

Chang loves talking to her patients and their families, making them feel comfortable and welcome. She says, however, there are some drawbacks.

“Once I had a patient who came in for a headache, but they found a previously undiagnosed tumor in her brain. I had to watch her parents cry, but because we found it early and we were able to work with it, they somehow found it in their hearts to be grateful to us.”

“It was one of the saddest experiences of my career, using my knack for talking to people to deliver such sad news. But in response to my words, the child’s parents uttered words that keep me going every time something goes badly for a patient: ‘Thank you for helping us, thank you for giving us hope, thank you for telling us it’ll be okay.’ Words like these make my job worthwhile.”

And although Chang makes it her mission to create a more cozy environment at her hospital, she acknowledges that it’s difficult to do with the amount of patients most doctors have per day.

“I like to think I’m efficient, but because I like to give my patients the opportunity to get settled, I guess I’m not as efficient as I could be.”

But Chang states that that is the least of her worries, as long as Dr. Chatty gets to converse with her patients for a reasonable amount of time.

Egg Noodle, Flat Noodle, Rice Noodle, or Mei Fun, you name it, the Red Bowl Noodle Shop will have it freshly made for you within fifteen minutes. This shop is owned by Mr. Li Qiang, for the past eighteen years.

I came across this peculiar noodle shop when I was walking down Main street looking for a place to eat. I saw a huge crowd of people gathered around a window just watching a man knead dough like he was born to do it. All while punching the dough, he had this wide smile of a performer putting on a show for his viewers.

“My father owned a noodle shop back at home in Taiwan, so even though I moved to a new country I wanted to keep the tradition going,” says Mr. Qiang when I asked him what made him start his own restaurant. The Red Bowl Noodle shop is a classic hole-in-the-wall Taiwanese restaurant with Peking duck decorating the restaurant. The interesting part of this restaurant is that Mr Qiang makes fresh noodles everyday, and he allows people to see him while he’s in his zone. He has a little glass screen so the customers can see the very strenuous process of making the noodles by hand everyday. I asked Mr. Qiang why he made it by hand and not use the industrial kitchen appliances and his response was, “I want the tradition of handmade noodles to still continue, no matter what new technology comes to make my life easier.”

Mr. Li Qiang came here back in 1993 as a newly wed with his wife, and he worked various jobs to start up a family. He started out as a dish washer at an Italian restaurant in New York City, then moved on to cleaning tables and various other jobs. A few years after being in America Mr.Qiang had a growing family, not only did he have to support his wife he had two little girls now. With the help of some family members that were living in Flushing at the time and a loan from the bank, Mr. Li Qiang became the owner of Red Bowl Noodle Shop.
I asked some of the regular customers, who Mr.Qiang, pointed out what they loved about the place that makes them come back once a week. The popular response was the freshness of noodles is what brings them back every time. Mr. Qiang said that his noodles were healthier when compared to other noodle shops, but wouldn’t tell me what the secret healthy ingredient is.

Mr. Qiang is currently 49 years old and, “He has the energy of a twenty year old,” customers say. He is very engaging with his customers and make sure they get the hospitality that they deserve. I asked Mr. Qiang if he was planning opening up in places other than Flushing and his response was, “No, I am happy with just this one place. I want to focus all my attention to this one place so I can perfect it.”

During my visit there I was able to acquaint with Mr. Qiang’s family and I spoke to his daughter, Cindy Qiang, who is about to go into her freshman year of college this Fall. I asked her what she was planning on pursuing during her undergraduate studies and she said business. Cindy wants to help out in her father’s business but in a way where she can expand the business to different locations.

I was very pleased to see that Mr. Qiang stayed true to his roots of cooking and brought a family business from Taiwan all the way to America. I highly recommend that everyone visit this restaurant the next time they are in Flushing, not just for the great food but for also a very engaging show put on by Mr. Qiang.

There is nothing luxurious about working two jobs and attending school, unless it helps prepare you for a bright future.

“Working both jobs helps me put food on the table and clothes on my back. Also, I am an emergency bank for my folks for whenever they need money,” says Joshua Aaron Melendez León, 22, a doorman in Soho and in Sutton Place who, instead of spending his paycheck on luxuries like accessories and unnecessary clothing, pays his own tuition and saves any money he can for a masters.

“I chose to work here because it facilitates me in doing my school work,” he said during finals week at Brooklyn College, the school from which he will graduate in Fall 2016 with an undergraduate degree.

Joshua’s accomplishments really stand out considering he spent his childhood in a small section of the living room shared by two other families, with a small curtain as “privacy.” This living situation helps him “remember how far we’ve come from basically nothing, where every single dollar counted and food was scarce.”

Joshua plans on using his life experiences to teach his future children the value of hard work and the proper morals they should follow: “I do not want my children to have the same economical problems I had growing up, especially the hardships. All the sleepless nights figuring out what to eat, saving every last dime because that’ll determine your next meal. I would show them the values and morals I’ve learned but I would help show them that the sky is the limit and what you put into this world is what you get out of it. I’ll be as supportive as I can in every aspect possible because that’s what really got me through high school and even now. The help and moral support from my family got me through tough times even when things weren’t looking so bright. I would give the same type of love my parents gave me to my future kids.”

Joshua loves NYC despite the hustling people attempting to attain productive lifestyles. He especially loves Times Square and all of its beautiful lights. Joshua finds the food from Soho delicious, and the scenery from Central Park is “to die for.”

Joshua’s schedule is so packed each day that time management is key for him to maintain a healthy balance in life. He says, “the fact that I work so much, a full time student would drive anyone insane. Yes, it does keep me productive but it helps me stay productive.”

At the end of the day, Joshua reflects positively on the Hebrew meaning of his name, the “helper of God” or “the helper of people.” His position as a doorman comes with a great responsibility of helping the residents of the building after their long days in the heat or in the cold. Joshua’s family came to the United States in search for new opportunities and a hope for a better future, and they definitely found what they have been looking for. They may not be there yet, but they are well on their way to accomplish their goals!

By: Navin Rana

On Madison Avenue

During rush hour on a rainy day, the M3 bus is packed to the brim with people, but oddly the one ray of warmth is the surprisingly jovial bus driver.

This 64-year-old Russian man, Dmitry Poliakov, with nothing but white hair, at first glance looks like the last person who would actually smile on the bus, but is instead, literally, the first person to do so.

He often engages in conversation with the daily passengers of the bus, who see him frequently throughout the week. These conversations frequently involve just jokes back and forth.

Someone might just come onto the bus and ask Dmitry, “How was your day, man?” He would just smile and look at the rider and say “It was great, but I really could ask for better traffic and weather though.” This rider, grinning, would respond “you said the same thing last week.”

As a bus driver, it is completely understandable why Dmitry would ask for better traffic and weather. However, when this traffic during a rainy day can cause many accidents, he remains remarkably calm. Another bus driver in his position would be screaming with his or her head half out of the window, while honking the horn. There is simply a sense of peace that emanates from him.

Dmitry believes his composure comes from his time as a government chemist while in the former USSR. He says the “experiments took a very long time, so I have some patience and I am able to wait for many things. Like my wife, when she is getting ready.”

Dmitry was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, which back then was still called the USSR. He started working as a chemist for the government in the 1970s, but he chose to leave the country, because of the political destabilization that was taking place in the Union during the late 1980s.

When arriving in the United States, he had trouble finding a job as a chemist, partly because of his thick accent—which accompanied his surprisingly impeccable English—and mainly because many people did not value the level of Russian or foreign higher education. When asked about how he became a bus driver, he said “I had a friend who was came from Odessa who recommended the job, and he said it was an easy job.” After a while, he got the hang of driving in Manhattan, but decided to keep the job since it paid the bills and he liked talking to the different riders.

Much like the many riders that come onto Dmitry’s bus, he takes public transportation to get to his own job. He wakes up by 6 a.m. and takes the subway to get to the bus terminal by 8 a.m. and drive the bus, which he completes usually at 6 p.m. After the work day, he goes home, eats dinner, spends time with his children, and goes to sleep. In his words, “it’s a simple, but fairly rewarding life.”

It is a rewarding job, but Dmitry says he will retire within the next ten years, after his two daughters graduate college and eventually get married. Until then, average bus riders will keep seeing his smile while they walk onto his bus. Or, as one bus rider says “I like talking to him, because he is such a nice person. I don’t really know what it is exactly, but there’s just something about him that attracts you.”