I was born into Chinatown. Not in it, since I was actually born in a nearby Kaiser Hospital on Geary Boulevard, but into it -- the community, people, customs, and culture. From the time I was a baby, I was brought weekend after weekend into Chinatown restaurants (like the famous Empress of China, pictured), force-fed Chinese food and soups, compelled to participate in such traditions as tea ceremonies and red egg & ginger parties, and even occasionally held captive in the alleyway garment factories, where I eavesdropped over grinding sewing machines as my grandmother and other workers gossiped about the local goings on.

For the full story, please visit the blog Lowdown On Chinatown.

– Kasie Lee, Lowdown On Chinatown

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant