Three Keys

The following morning, Mia finds a thank you note from a guest whose parents were Polish immigrants. In her mind, this helps counteract the hateful message of the flyers. A family friend stops by to say that he’s gotten a job as an electrical technician, making Mr. Tang think about his own background in genetic engineering. He checks some books out of the library that might help him get back into his actual line of work.

At school, Mia sets her classmates straight on how hard she and her family work at the motel: “I had finally worked up the nerve to not be ashamed of what I did, but to be proud of it, to own it. And that was something!” (130). After class, Mrs. Welsh talks about her personal setbacks. Despite her Ph.D., she was always passed over for tenure by male colleagues. Mia says her mother was an electrical engineer in China, giving Mrs. Welsh something to ponder about the real immigrant experience.

Jason’s pork belly dish is a huge success at the school cookout. His father chooses the Chinese food that Mia’s family prepared instead. He repeats that he wants his son to advance in society instead of becoming a cook.