The Family Chao

“In dark times, when you’re feeling homesick or defeated, there is really nothing like a good, steaming soup, and dumplings made from scratch.”

With the Fine Chao restaurant, the book introduces the theme of The Power of Food and as sustenance, in culture, and in community. Though the family restaurant plays a role in the lives of every member of the Chao family, Dagou in particular finds comfort in preparing and eating food, which he sees as a means of earning respect, acceptance and success.

“They say, ‘You’re special,’ ha! ‘You can do anything you want!’ Nobody can do anything they want. Do you think I want this dog’s life? No, I do what I have to do. But my oldest son? He’s trying to find himself.”

Leo expresses the irony that American claims of independence and self-actualization run counter to his experience as a man who emigrated from China. Leo will prove a foil and antagonist to his American-born sons in several aspects. His self-characterization here also introduces the dog motif that will be used throughout the novel to define him; Leo suggests he works as hard as an animal, with few comforts to show for it.

“Dagou takes a visible breath, chest swelling, and faces their father. Leo Chao’s face grows both brighter and darker. Younger, with his edges more defined, he seems to recognize another man in Dagou, someone from long ago.”

This passage is representative of Chang’s prose style, precise in its language and blunt in its imagery, making use of the present tense in its narration. Leo and Dagou are foils as well as antagonists, their disagreements resonate on several thematic levels, but it’s suggested here that Leo’s combativeness toward his son stems from a recognition of his younger self.