Restaurant Kid

“Rachel Phan’s delightful new memoir tells a story that will be familiar to many children of immigrants whose parents’ striving for a new life included opening a business that took up literally all of their time.” – Kate Tuttle, The Boston Globe“When she was 3, Phan’s parents opened the May May Inn, a Chinese restaurant in suburban Ontario. A trip to Vietnam with her parents as an adult allowed her to more fully grasp what they endured to bring their family to safety and gave context to the ways her parents demonstrated love.” – Becky Meloan, The Washington Post“This memoir adds a unique perspective on immigration by revisiting the journeys of displaced individuals before and after they arrived in North America.” – Library Journal“Phan’s debut is an absorbing memoir. She writes candidly of the often-bewildering experiences of her childhood and college years. As one of the very few Asian people in an overwhelmingly white area—her family accounted for one third of their town’s Chinese population—she endured racial taunts, misconceptions, and prejudice. Phan’s poignant, unflinching writing makes this an enthralling read.” – Booklist“This coming-of-age memoir is fresh, smart, loving and well-researched. Rachel Phan has written a must-read for anyone who grew up Asian in a white world. You’re not alone. You never were. Get ready to cry (and laugh and heal!).” – Hannah Sung, journalist“Restaurant Kid is kaleidoscopic coming-of-age story that beautifully captures a young woman’s journey to understand her identity and her family’s history. Rachel Phan weaves a deeply personal narrative of growing up in the shadow of her parents’ restaurant—their hard-won livelihood and the source of both connection and tension. With grace and vulnerability, Phan explores the importance of reckoning with our roots, finding meaning in our family’s sacrifices, and coming to terms with the forces that shape who we are.” – Christina Vo, author of The Veil Between Two Worlds and co-author of My Vietnam, Your Vietnam “What do we inherit and how do we decide what to leave behind? In Restaurant Kid, Rachel Phan writes at once with brutal honesty and heartbreaking tenderness, expertly dissecting her own experience as an immigrant kid, and the question of what do we owe to those who sacrifice the most?” – Ann Hui, author of Chop Suey Nation“A heartfelt tale about a third-culture kid searching for identity, belonging and a sense of home. Phan tells the universal story of what it means to grow up in an immigrant family with surprisingly intimate details of depression and emotional turmoil as she builds her own path and finds both herself and her family in an unexpected place.” * Cheuk Kwan, author of Have You Eaten Yet? *

Rachel Phan is a Toronto-based Chinese Canadian writer. When she’s not scribbling sentences and thoughts in endless Google Docs, she’s daydreaming about her next meal and hoping it’s dim sum.