OCC Students, Employees and the Community are invited to join Chin, author of “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant” as he shares stories of growing up in Detroit during the 1980s, his coming out experience, and the delicate balancing of life in a Chinese restaurant.
For 60 years, Curtis Chin’s family restaurant, Chungs, was a staple in Detroit. The restaurant started in City’s Old Chinatown in 1940, where today’s MGM Grand Detroit is located. When the Detroit Housing Commission condemned the neighborhood in 1960, the business relocated to a “new” Chinatown in the Cass Corridor in 1963.
At its peak, Chungs was selling 4,000 egg rolls a week alongside its authentic dishes. The restaurant welcomed all walks of life from drug dealers, autoworkers and white-collar professionals like Mayor Coleman A. Young to artists including Motown greats like Smokey Robinson. Chungs is remembered as an unofficial town center. There were many stories told and lessons learned.
This is where Curtis Chin grew up. Today, he is a famous filmmaker, author and social activist, now living in Los Angeles. But his experiences never left him. His poignant stories and many conversations from this time led him to write his memoir, “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant.”
Chin shares his stories at a free online event, hosted by Oakland Community College
On Tuesday, March 26 from noon to 1 p.m., Chin will chronicle his experiences growing up Chinese American in the 1970s and 1980s in Detroit while coming to terms with his sexuality and balancing many life lessons. He will delve into his upbringing with his parents giving him and his five siblings countless valuable lessons in life.
“Growing up, a lot of parents tell their kids don’t talk to strangers, but my parents gave us the opposite advice,” noted Chin. “Whether it was a factory worker or doctor or reporter, anytime my dad met somebody at his restaurant who he thought had an interesting job or seemed happy, he called all of his kids over to learn more about it.”
Register and learn more. “This free community event is an opportunity to recognize that within the walls of a restaurant, lessons of life and diversity provide great ingredients for us all to learn and grow together,” adds Kristina M. Marshall, JD, OCC director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice.
A writer is born after Chungs closes
When Chungs closed its doors in 2000, Chin began writing stories to share with his nieces and nephews about their family history. His memoir has received widespread acclaim as a “must read” by The Washington Post and Time Magazine. It has made several notable lists including the 2024 Michigan Top Memoirs.
Just like Chungs, Chin hopes the book sparks a conversation and brings people together. “As I’ve said before, the pitch is: Come for the egg rolls, but stay for the talk on racism.”
This event is sponsored by Oakland Community College’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice and the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee.
About Curtis Chin
A co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City, Curtis Chin served as the non-profits’ first Executive Director. He went on to write for network and cable television before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films at over 600 venues in twenty countries. He has written for CNN, Bon Appetit, the Detroit Free Press and the Emancipator/Boston Globe. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more. His memoir, "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant" was published by Little, Brown in Fall 2023. His essay in Bon Appetit was just selected for Best Food Writing in America 2023.
About OCC
Oakland Community College offers nearly 100 degrees and certificates programs with the resources students need to be successful and advance our community. As a top transfer institution, OCC offers one of the state’s most affordable tuition rates and flexibility in scheduling with face-to-face and online options. The College is nationally recognized for its high-demand career training with expert faculty in their fields. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. Learn more at oaklandcc.edu.
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