How Does the “Cha Chaan Teng”(Hong Kong Style Restaurant) Reflect and Contribute to Hk Identity?

Stuart Hall defines identity as an ‘already accomplished fact, which the new cultural practices then represent’. We should think instead of ‘identity as a ‘production’ which is never complete, always in process, and always constituted within, not outside, representation’ (Hall 1994 p.392). An individual’s sense of belonging to a particular group, thinking, feelings and behaviour can also be referred to as identity. One’s cultural image can construct identity; such features as hair, skin tone and height. History shapes our identity.

The restaurants setting is aesthetically pleasing and uniquely from other traditional fast-food restaurants. The restaurants’ food preparation area was equipped with stoves and grills, pots and pans, cutting knives, wire whisks, walk-in refrigerator and other kitchen utensils. Besides, the company support systems and functions include distribution centers, quality assurance department, training and risk management department, accounting and finance, internal team of real estate managers, administrative and general management. All of these let the company to maintain the daily operation and run the business

Many new arrivals still struggle to survive and often Chinese Americans still encounter suspicion and hostility. Chinese Americans have achieved great success and now, like so many others, they are stitching together a new American identity. As Michelle Ling, a young Chinese American, tells Bill Moyers in Program 3, “I get to compose my life one piece at a time, however I feel like it. Not to say that it’s not difficult and that there isn’t challenge all the time, but more than material wealth, you get to choose what you are, who you are.” (www.pbs.org)

     The focus of our group project is on Chinese Americans. We studied various aspects of their lives and the preservation of their culture in America. The Chinese American population is continually growing. In fact, in 1990, they were the largest group of Asians in the United States (Min 58). But living in America and adjusting to a new way of life is not easy. Many Chinese Americans have faced and continue to face much conflict between their Chinese and American identities. But many times, as they adapt to this new life, they are also able to preserve their Chinese culture and identity through various ways. We studied these things through the viewing of a movie called Joy Luck Club,

As previously stated in this paper, forming cultural identity may be more complicated today than ever. However, it is a critical part of a total structure of collective and individual identity. Based on the text, models of ethnic and cultural identity have increased dramatically over the last few decades. Today, most ethnic groups are accepting the fact that the United States is the most ethically diverse place to live and to raise a

First, I will interview Chinese immigrants, which promotes my identity formation because we share two similarities. The first similarity is that we all came from China, and the second one is that we all need to face the challenges to adjust our habits and lifestyles to Canada. As a Chinese student that has been living in Montreal for only 2 months, I do not know how to accustom myself to Canadian society. Since they have already figured out what to do in this situation, I consider them as my role models. I can develop life skills and develop my self-identity by copying their behaviors. I struggled frequently with social activities here because I can not find my feet in Canadian communities. One of the explorations under the global context of "Identities and Relationships" which relates to my project is "human relationships, including families, friends, communities and culture." By interviewing Chinese immigrants, I can learn what their relationships to Canadian society

The identity crisis occurs when individuals are facing the dilemma of either of the culture to make some fundamental decisions. From certain angle it is more severe on second generation Asian Americans than the first generation Asian Americans. According to Justin Chan, a second-generation Chinese American, she states that to build a bicultural identity is actually a balancing act for her. In order to feel more comfortable in both cultural groups, second-generation Asian Americans choose to identify differently when facing different people. They need to punctuate their “American side” when dealing with non-Asian peers and also punctuate their “Asian side” at home when facing their families. This kind of balancing act is widely applied to second-generation Asian Americans.

The sense of identity is what helps an individual determine themselves. The multiple factors that it is based on includes the ethnic background and upbringing. In the creative Non- Fiction essay by Andrew Lam, he narrates his perspective of the conflictions of being a Vietnamese-American. He discusses the internal fight that he had with his self about not carrying on the Vietnamese traditions and how it troubled him. The abandonment of his mother’s cultural legacy perturbed him. This is where Lam presents the theme of identity being a quest that one must complete on their own to reach the fulfillment of self.

The term “fast casual” was generated as part of the restaurant industry in the 1990’s. Fundamentally speaking, this category of restaurants do not offer a full table service. Fast-casual are strategically positioned between fast food and casual dining and as such is differentiated by the quick service offered, quality of food, casual dining, inviting ambiance, reputation, innovation, menu price and location. It is the practice of companies operating within this industry to use wholesome and fresh ingredients in the preparation of the high-quality food they serve. In addition, professional preparation and appealing presentation are highly prioritized by companies operating in this segment. (Parpal 2015).

In his article “Distilling My Korean American Identity,” he explores the process of self-discovery of identity from his teenage years to his college life, and with the help from his significant other. Being Asians in the United States, Gonzalo and Patrick S. both have had to confront the major issue of identity conflicts in different ways. These were due to the assimilation stress, generational gap and racial discrimination that happened within their family and school lives.

It would be prudent at this point to investigate the broader social context of migration from Hong Kong that influenced his migration/integration experience. According to Chu (2013), “In 1995, Fortune wrote a cover story for its international edition entitled “The Death of Hong Kong,” claiming that 'the naked truth about Hong Kong 's future can be summed up in two words: Its over. '”

Chinatowns are there in many countries in the whole world, with the inclusion of United States, France, Australia, India, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, among others. They are often marred with spectacular allusion to the stereotypic Chinese cultures in most cases. Nevertheless, the scope of the display of these definitive Chinese cultural elements in the Chinatowns varies a bit from one country to the other. The essay considers this in comparing the situation between American Chinatowns and the French Chinatowns, using a personal experience in a Chinese restaurant in Cambridge, where I have been every Saturday, since February, with the Massachusetts Go Association’s members. It considers the following as points of argument: dress codes in Chinese restaurants; overall conversations and interactions; use of exotic languages; the precise restaurant service mannerisms and architectural dimension.

Do you have an identity? Do you understand your culture? Are you going against your culture by being yourself? Being raised by an extremely hopeful mother who wishes to live vicariously through her daughter’s success, we find Jing-Mei struggling to understand her cultural identity. But, what exactly is cultural identity?

Based on my findings, British society has facilitated fluid Chinese queer people’s identities, whilst the Chinese context shaped identities still remaining in some way. On the one side, identities flow through the experience of transnational movement. Chinese queer people’s identities are fluid, which can be considered as socially constructed. On the other side, Tam (1998) describes that Chinese migrants in Britain are ‘the least assimilated’ ethnic group because of the deep-rooted Chinese tradition. The absence of legal protections in China marginalizes queer people from the mainstream society, which also shapes their ‘Chinese identities’. Also, for most of Chinese, his/her families need to be respected, so that coming out with family members is a challenge to Chinese queer people.

Nowadays tourism industry becomes one of the most important economic growth factor in Hong Kong. According to the Tourism Commission, “In 2011, Hong Kong received a record-high of 42 million visitors from around the world, a remarkable increase of 16.4% over 2010”. Such great number of tourists contributes to the fast food industry and making more potential customer in Hong Kong.