from Taiwan

Martin and Li Lien
owners, Little Hunan (restaurant)
6144 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL

Country of origin: Taiwan
City of origin: Taipei
Year immigrated to U.S.: 1981
Age at time of immigration: Martin, 44?; Li, 40 (plus three daughters: 5, 6, and 11)
Reason for immigration: "We needed to have the good future."
Lived in any other country: no
U.S. citizen: yes
Any family in U.S.: yes, Martin's sister
Owned business in country of origin: no
Year started business: 1989
Capital to start business: personal savings

Excerpts from interview

about their first day in America
Li: When we come here, it's fall. All the green is yellow.
Ah, the falling leaves?
Li: Yeah. The leaves. When we saw like this [moves her hands and fingers to make sprinkling, falling movements]. Wow! Because in Taiwan, live in the city, you not see like that. So we were just…it was strange! We said, "What happened?"

about language
Martin: When we flew here we got in trouble with a conversation with some flight attendant with immigration and customs. Because we can't speak too much English. Very, very little. Very poor. Even we learn a lot in Taiwan, but we don't have a chance to use. So more than twenty years, I never touched English. So I forget.

Martin: The only trouble was the English. There was a lot of paperwork, a lot of things to be talked about with someone. Like a sign or the menu or the decorations. We hire people.

about reasons for owning a business
Martin: Because we looking for the good future. If we work with someone, like our age, getting old, I don't know how long they going to hire us. So I told my wife, I say, "So, we better try to do our own." It was very hard to build up the business.

about challenges for starting a business
Martin: We are looking in the Chinese newspaper where there are a lot of restaurants for sale. Then we checked with the newspaper. During that time, we had no idea where is good, where is no good. And we found the one. The lady owned the place was calling it Little Hunan Express. She put the ad in the Chinese newspaper for sale. And we went to there. And we said, "Oh." We knew her before. And we started talking about to buy or purchase her place. I think she looks maybe like us now. Very tired. Very tired, very sad. Because I don't think she has too much business. Yeah. So we follow her history. [laughs]

Martin: ...We passed the menu. We tried to do some advertising. I don't know what's the best choice. So when a few customers come in, we treat them like royalty.

Li: After six months, we got three-and-a-half star. We are so excited.
Martin: The first ones we got were an article from Chicago Magazine. That helps our business up. Later on the Chicago Sun Times, they come, review us. We never know about that. One day our friend call us, she say, "Oh, you are in the Chicago Sun Times with three-and-a-half star." ...But for me, I have no idea how good or how bad were three-and-a-half star. I know that is good, but how good? I don't know. And she is warning us. She said "You've got to be careful because you are going to be very, very busy. ...You must go very carefully." But we don't know. We're still doing the normal business. Then during the lunchtime, lots of calling for delivery or ask a question. But our English not so good. So that was a trouble for people to understand us.

Martin: Very difficult now. Because there's a lot of competition. You know the government tries to check, check everything. ...Also, it's hard to hire people. You hire people, but it's hard to find someone you can trust. A lot of people—especially from the poorer parts of China—they come here and try to learn. Most of them have no experience and they try and make more easy. That's really bad. Very shame, you know. Sometimes I interview them and call them, now they be patient. The restaurant is a job like the long-term investment. Long-term. You need to spend a lot of pain to learn the experience and most of them say "Oooh. I understand." Then later on, they change. They quit, not easy money. They don't want to work too hard because found they come in this country lazy to work. It's very bad.

about advice for other immigrant entrepreneurs
Martin: First of all, get the experience, work with someone. Get experience!