How a family-owned Chinese restaurant shaped Curtis Chin's worldview
NPRHow a family-owned Chinese restaurant shaped Curtis Chin's worldview Enlarge this image toggle caption Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP For Curtis Chin, the family restaurant he grew up with in Detroit will always feel like one of the greatest equalizers to witness: "It was one of the rare places in the segregated city where everyone felt welcome. Chin's new memoir, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant tells his life story of growing up in 1980s Detroit — infusing his focus on diversity and community, and how they affected his upbringing. And so anytime my dad met someone who had an interesting job, not just white collar jobs but even blue collar jobs — anyone who had an interesting life or a different background — my dad would call all six of us to run over and barrage these customers with questions of, like, "How did you get your job? And so even though, you know, my parents always exhibited positive feelings towards gay people, and they had gay friends, we had gay customers, and they never said anything homophobic, I just couldn't take that chance.
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