Chinese-American Takeaway Langs Shuttling through Streets and Crowds (1)

In the United States, many people in China are engaged in the catering industry. Almost all Chinese restaurants in new york have food delivery service, and food delivery has become the first job for some China people to engage in this industry in the United States. Many people say that most people who come to the United States have worked in restaurants, especially some new immigrants who don't speak the language and have no other work experience. Delivery is the most suitable job for them.

Walking on the streets of Manhattan, new york, take-away vendors can be seen everywhere. They are wearing work clothes and carrying take-away bags, riding bicycles in the sea of people and traffic. Some are old and some are childish, but they all have one thing in common-that is, they deliver the food to customers in time and earn their share of the money.

An American old man who often orders Chinese food described the takeaway lang as "they are shy and hard-working, but this society cannot live without them". In order to give their families and themselves a better life, take-away vendors never stop to hurry.

In recent days, the news of the Chinese community is nothing more than the story of Chen Mingguang, a Fujian takeaway who was trapped in the elevator for 82 hours and miraculously survived. While most people are thankful for him, many people are worried about the life and work safety of foreign sellers.

The reporter will find out what life is like for China Takeaways, and whether they have the same experience and suffering as Chen Mingguang.

White collar takeout lang

Wang Wei, a native of Shanghai, has the characteristics of a southerner: polite, elegant and a little shy. He wears a pair of glasses and looks more like a white-collar worker. He used to work in a machinery factory in Shanghai, but he came to America three years ago and became a takeaway. Young, married and his wife is still in Shanghai. He is not particularly satisfied with the income from his job. Different from other take-away vendors, Wang Wei's English is very good. Many guests are often surprised that he speaks fluent English. Then why does he deliver take-away? He said: "When you come to America, you have no identity and no help from others. To succeed, we must start from the most basic work. "

Wang Wei, who is bent on doing other things, hopes to meet a good opportunity in the future, have a good experience of American society, and be able to give full play to his special skills and do some more meaningful work. Young and willing to work, Wang Wei's work is always affirmed by big guests and bosses. Missing his family, he always goes home from work to have a video chat with his family to learn about his lovesickness.

Liu Zhe, 19 years old, a young international student, is currently a senior one at Queen's University. When he came to the United States a year ago, the first thing on Liu Zhe's mind was work. Tuition and living expenses in the United States are too expensive, and his family has a heavy burden. As a sensible person, he found his first takeaway job just one month after he came to the United States. Young and in good health, his English is better than that of the average takeaway. Liu Zhe is very popular with his boss. He is diligent and often helps to guide him when he is busy in the shop. He said: "I didn't do anything at home before, but now I know the hard work of making money." I cherish the opportunity my parents gave me to study in the United States and want to share some expenses for my family. "

Liu Zhe's father is the manager of a small company in China, and his mother is in poor health and resting at home. Although his parents can provide him with enough living expenses, Liu Zhe still insists on working to support himself. Usually he is very busy in class. He always finishes classes in the morning, studies in the library in the afternoon and works in a restaurant in Flushing at night. He said: "Sometimes when the weather is hot, I carry several big bags of brewed tea in my hand. The cool feeling is very comfortable to hold in your hand. I really want to open the bag and have a drink. " Sometimes when he sees groups of men and women of the same age going to the movies and eating together in the street, he is full of jealousy and wants to put down his bike and play with his friends. But his reason always beats himself, and he always delivers hot meals to his guests as quickly as possible. When he received a tip of 1 USD or 2 USD, Liu Zhe knew that it was much happier to earn money from work than to spend his parents' money. The final exam is coming. Liu Zhe recently went home to study. He said, "I never worry about my courses, because I came to the United States to study." He patted his chest and said, "I promise to get an A in this exam. I'll show you the report card then. If not, I'll invite you to make a cup of tea! "

Seeing him sweating like a pig and quickly tying a big bag of good dishes to his bicycle, Liu Zhe seems to be an experienced and skilled delivery man, but he is actually a child who likes to eat French fries and play video games. In his own words: "I can't just enjoy the superior conditions created by my parents, I want to experience the hard work of making money." Before leaving, Liu Zhe told reporters that he had saved money for several months to buy a watch for his parents, which made them proud of what his son had done.

Being robbed is a common occurrence.

When people in the community are grieving for the death of 18-year-old takeaway lang, many takeaway lang said that things like being robbed and beaten often happen, but they still have to work for money. A young delivery man told his story. A few years ago, in a small restaurant in the Bronx, when it closed at 10 in the afternoon, two black men came in with silver pistols and claimed all their money. The takeaway lang was scared to hide under the table, and the robbers rushed all the few people in the store to the basement, locked the door and prepared to smash the cash register. The clever boss quietly pressed the alarm bell hidden on the wall when he went downstairs. A few minutes later, the police came, but the robbers ran away with hundreds of dollars in the cash register. The takeaway lang said, "I saw a pistol pointed at my head and thought I was going to die."

Later, I learned that in such a dangerous dark area, the boss would not put all the cash in the cash register, only a small part, in case of robbery. Although a few years later, the young takeaway lang also left the Bronx to work as a waiter in a Chinatown restaurant, the black man with silver-haired pistol and fierce spirit in his mind was a shadow that he could not erase.

Mr. Chen, 37, from Fuzhou, has been in the United States for seven years and has five years of delivery experience. He said, "I deliver takeout and everything, but I'm never afraid." Similar to other Fujian people, when he first came to the United States, he also worked as a handyman in a restaurant. Because of his poor English, Mr. Chen found no other way out. Finally, through the introduction of friends, I started my takeaway career and worked for five years. It is understood that the work of delivering take-away food is hard, but it earns much more than doing odd jobs in restaurants. I don't want to be stuck in a closed kitchen every day, but I want to earn more money. Mr. Chen left the kitchen and began to deliver takeout in the wind and rain by bike. Among them, Mr. Chen has been to the most dangerous black area and has also been to midtown Manhattan. At present, I deliver takeout in a large Chinese restaurant near Battery Park, and my income is very stable. Talking about his takeaway experience, Mr. Chen said with a satisfied smile, "There are joys and sorrows, but it is much safer to deliver takeout in Manhattan. People used to rob him in the Bronx. "

When Mr. Chen first started delivering takeout food, he worked in a small China takeaway shop in the Bronx. The restaurant is relatively small, and only Mr. Chen has a takeaway. He didn't even have a chance to catch his breath when he was busy. He often sends bills back and then goes out at once. Mr. Chen said: "Only novices or people who have just arrived in the United States will go to the black area because it is dangerous, but the salary is high." Mr. Chen, who came out of Fujian at that time, still owed a lot of debts, regardless of security issues. He just wants to earn more money, pay off his debts as soon as possible, and make life easier for his family. The basic salary of the takeaway lang will naturally be higher if he works in a more dangerous place, and he can earn 1000 yuan more every month than delivering food in midtown Manhattan.

Mr. Chen knows it's dangerous to deliver takeout there, but he's never afraid. Sometimes he delivers takeout by bike during the day, and often some black people forcibly stop him, some rob him of the food he wants to deliver, and some rob him of his money. In order to ensure his own safety, Mr. Chen always takes the change around 20 yuan with him in case of being robbed, and can send money to eliminate disasters. Every time he delivers food, Mr. Chen sends the money back to the store, for fear of adding too much burden to him. The clothes and shoes he usually wears for delivery are very old. He said, "Some black people will rob you when they see your shoes and hats are good." After a long time, he is no longer afraid of robbery and sometimes fights with each other. Once, Mr. Chen was robbed again. He's not afraid. He started arguing with the other side, and then he got into a fight. The other party hit him with an empty bottle. Mr. Chen was injured, but the other party was moved by his persistence and courage, and then left. Since then, Mr. Chen has become famous in that area, and many blacks know that there is a thin China takeaway here. Strange to say, since then, Mr. Chen has been robbed a lot less.

After a long delivery, Mr. Chen gradually became familiar with some people who stood on the road every day and were ready to rob. Those people also knew Mr. Chen. The two sides never talk, but they are also afraid. Mr. Chen said, "I know all those people and I know where they live. If something goes wrong, they can't run. " In this way, Mr. Chen finally passed those dangerous days safely, and finally found a job of delivering food in a noble residential area in Manhattan, and his family's heart finally calmed down.

Last month, Mr. Chen's green card was just completed, and his wife and children also came to the United States to reunite with him. With his family around, Mr. Chen is more willing to deliver takeout. He said: "My family also supports me in this line of work. No matter what I do, I am not afraid of anything with the understanding of my family. "

Recalling the past days, Mr. Chen said that China people who delivered takeout in black areas usually just came to the United States to make a living. It's really hard for them to make more money regardless of the danger. Although he is now a skilled takeaway, Mr. Chen is still learning. He hopes to go to school in the future, learn English well and return to his old job as a plumber. Talking about the thrilling days of childbirth, he said: "Outsiders feel very dangerous. When they are in that environment, they don't care about anything I'm numb to robbery. "