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Ribbons #2
The Cook's Family
Eager to flee her parent's constant fighting, Robin Lee heads to Chinatown to be with her grandmother, where they befriend a lonely cook who helps her regain a sense of her Chinese heritage. Reprint.
184 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 1998
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About the author
Laurence Yep
119 books295 followersBorn June 14, 1948 in San Francisco, California, Yep was the son of Thomas Gim Yep and Franche Lee Yep. Franche Lee, her family's youngest child, was born in Ohio and raised in West Virginia where her family owned a Chinese laundry. Yep's father, Thomas, was born in China and came to America at the age of ten where he lived, not in Chinatown, but with an Irish friend in a white neighborhood. After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. Joanne Ryder, a children's book author, and Yep met and became friends during college while she was his editor. They later married and now live in San Francisco.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 14, 2019
Inspired by coworkers, I'm revisiting juvenile lit from my childhood (and even though it's not May, I am Asian American 12 out of 12 months so every month is AAPI heritage month for me, I suppose).
I remembered the bones of this story: Robin and her grandmother are volunteered by a waiter to pretend to be a lonely cook's family because his own are assumed dead in China. Rereading 15 years later, I noticed things I overlooked when I first read this: for example, the distinction Hong Kong born Grandmother notes between her youth and cook Wolf's southern Chinese (Toisan) background, further highlighted when they go to a movie in Chinatown (Jackie Chan's The Young Master!) in Cantonese, but with Chinese subtitles so speakers of other dialects can follow along. Grandmother is in her 60s, which startles me because my parents are currently in theirs, but I'd be hard-pressed to describe either as elderly (though, Grandmother probably uses canes because of her bound feet). The taxi driver mentions being in the US for 58 years and coming over at age 8, which would've been in a tenuous time between the complete ban on immigration in 1924 and/or the repeal of Exclusion in 1943 (which then still limited immigration at 105 Chinese per year). Functionally, these harsh immigration laws delayed the arrival of women, creating bachelor societies in early Chinese America.
Laurence Yep books always resonate with me, probably because I am also a descendant of the Toisanese diaspora, and think often about the balance of being a hyphenated American and the struggles my ancestors went through so I could be here. Wolf sending back money and losing contact with his family during China's political upheavals in the twentieth century reminds me of my maternal side. Robin's mom argues, "When you married me, you also married my family- we're a package deal" to Robin's [Caucasian] dad, a sentiment expressed to me to be cognizant of in serious relationships.
The Cook's Family is a timely reread, as ICE raids for undocumented immigrants are ramping up the weekend I read this (July 13, 2019). In the third act, The waiter reveals he didn't give them the full story because he didn't trust strangers who might accidentally talk to the wrong person and attract the attention of immigration officials, and Grandmother agrees, "If someone's here illegally, you shouldn't talk about it to anyone." In this, I also recognize a reticence on relatives' part to discuss how some of my ancestors came to America, even though all relevant parties are long dead. It's not like a corpse can be deported, but there's an instinctive shutdown or evasion of discussion, probably built up from habit.
My quibble is minor: Robin describes herself as brown haired and green eyed, a mixed race Chinese American. While lovely, the cover does not reflect this- the later book Angelfish has a more accurate depiction. Still, as a voracious adolescent reader, it was nice to see faces like mine on the covers of stuff I read, rather than having to imagine myself as the side character in someone else's story. As mentioned earlier, Yep's work strongly resonates with me because we have similar backgrounds, but I can't think of many other '90s authors who also filled that space (versus say, looking at teen historical fiction set in Tudor England and finding a half dozen authors). I'm envious of today's teens with the feast of #ownvoices YA lit available (which y'know, adults can still read!) and am SO GLAD that kids today have a variety of options to see themselves in.
I remembered the bones of this story: Robin and her grandmother are volunteered by a waiter to pretend to be a lonely cook's family because his own are assumed dead in China. Rereading 15 years later, I noticed things I overlooked when I first read this: for example, the distinction Hong Kong born Grandmother notes between her youth and cook Wolf's southern Chinese (Toisan) background, further highlighted when they go to a movie in Chinatown (Jackie Chan's The Young Master!) in Cantonese, but with Chinese subtitles so speakers of other dialects can follow along. Grandmother is in her 60s, which startles me because my parents are currently in theirs, but I'd be hard-pressed to describe either as elderly (though, Grandmother probably uses canes because of her bound feet). The taxi driver mentions being in the US for 58 years and coming over at age 8, which would've been in a tenuous time between the complete ban on immigration in 1924 and/or the repeal of Exclusion in 1943 (which then still limited immigration at 105 Chinese per year). Functionally, these harsh immigration laws delayed the arrival of women, creating bachelor societies in early Chinese America.
Laurence Yep books always resonate with me, probably because I am also a descendant of the Toisanese diaspora, and think often about the balance of being a hyphenated American and the struggles my ancestors went through so I could be here. Wolf sending back money and losing contact with his family during China's political upheavals in the twentieth century reminds me of my maternal side. Robin's mom argues, "When you married me, you also married my family- we're a package deal" to Robin's [Caucasian] dad, a sentiment expressed to me to be cognizant of in serious relationships.
The Cook's Family is a timely reread, as ICE raids for undocumented immigrants are ramping up the weekend I read this (July 13, 2019). In the third act, The waiter reveals he didn't give them the full story because he didn't trust strangers who might accidentally talk to the wrong person and attract the attention of immigration officials, and Grandmother agrees, "If someone's here illegally, you shouldn't talk about it to anyone." In this, I also recognize a reticence on relatives' part to discuss how some of my ancestors came to America, even though all relevant parties are long dead. It's not like a corpse can be deported, but there's an instinctive shutdown or evasion of discussion, probably built up from habit.
My quibble is minor: Robin describes herself as brown haired and green eyed, a mixed race Chinese American. While lovely, the cover does not reflect this- the later book Angelfish has a more accurate depiction. Still, as a voracious adolescent reader, it was nice to see faces like mine on the covers of stuff I read, rather than having to imagine myself as the side character in someone else's story. As mentioned earlier, Yep's work strongly resonates with me because we have similar backgrounds, but I can't think of many other '90s authors who also filled that space (versus say, looking at teen historical fiction set in Tudor England and finding a half dozen authors). I'm envious of today's teens with the feast of #ownvoices YA lit available (which y'know, adults can still read!) and am SO GLAD that kids today have a variety of options to see themselves in.
June 26, 2019
This is one of the better stories I have read in a long time. Well-written w/ a unique story-line, made all the more interesting by the information provided in the afterword that explains how much of this story is based on actual goings-on. Fascinating taste of historical possibility provided through a realistic family structure. Provides nice insight on immigrant lives & how the dance of inter-mingling cultures can manifest in people's lives. Also, just a good read; a story that sucked me right in. So glad I came across this lovely thing.
November 29, 2015
Title: The cook’s family
Author: Laurence Yep
Illustrator:
Genre: fiction
Theme(s): family, culture bond
Opening line/sentence: When the fat man plunged out of the restaurant onto the pavement, I could have dodged.
Brief Book Summary: Robin has a Chinese mother and an American father. One day her grandmother took her to the Chinatown and they started their “pretend family” game there. In this process, Robin found out the heritage of the Chinese culture.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: KIRKUS REVIEW
In a poignant sequel to Ribbons (1996), two strangers comfort a lonely old man with a shared, ongoing fantasy. Drawn to a disturbance outside a San Francisco Chinatown restaurant, Robin and her grandmother find themselves play-acting, soothing a drunken cook named Wolf by pretending to be his lost wife and daughter. Wolf isn't fooled, but reminiscing with his "wife" and watching his brown-haired, green-eyed "daughter" dance makes him feel better, so he willingly goes along. On what becomes weekly visits, Robin receives as much comfort as she gives, for the domestic war between her Chinese mother and non-Chinese father (and the tension between traditional Chinese and typically American ideas of family obligation) has made home a hard place to be. In his characters' banter and behavior, Yep makes clear the difference between ethnic stereotypes and what is simply common--and when Wolf's real daughter, an illegal immigrant living in San Diego, puts in a surprise appearance, her loud, nasty rudeness casts an ironic light on Robin's efforts to be more "Chinese" for Wolf, i.e., silent, obliging, and submissive. Yep sensitively explores the complexities of immigrant culture from several points of view, creates an appealing, diverse cast, and gives his plot both a memorable premise (drawn, as he explains in an afterword, from actual incidents) and a strong, bittersweet ending. (Fiction. 10-13)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Children's Literature - Karen Porter
Robin Lee is watching the destruction of her family due to the conflicts between her Chinese mother and her mainstream American father. Her mother feels compelled to honor her Chinese heritage by helping her brothers start a business. Robin's father resents the time spent away from the immediate family. Robin feels out of touch with her Chinese heritage. When she visits Chinatown with her grandmother, the two are adopted by a cook at a local restaurant. They become an imaginary family and Robin learns to appreciate her heritage and feel part of her Chinese family. The story is interesting and easy to read, but as the plot unfolds, it becomes too simple. The happily-ever-after ending is too easily achieved. A sexual reference in the fifth chapter is neither necessary nor appropriate for children.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: This book carefully reveal the complicated immigrant culture, and shows people the power of ownership of ones culture. However, I also agree with the second review that the story seems to be too simple, and the happy ending is too easy.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This is in between a transitional chapter book and a chapter book. Even though I found it under the transitional chapter book category. Not only the language used but also the layout of this book shows that this is a book for upper graders.
Consideration of Instructional Application: Can be used to teach how to value one’s culture, and how to respect others’ culture.
Author: Laurence Yep
Illustrator:
Genre: fiction
Theme(s): family, culture bond
Opening line/sentence: When the fat man plunged out of the restaurant onto the pavement, I could have dodged.
Brief Book Summary: Robin has a Chinese mother and an American father. One day her grandmother took her to the Chinatown and they started their “pretend family” game there. In this process, Robin found out the heritage of the Chinese culture.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: KIRKUS REVIEW
In a poignant sequel to Ribbons (1996), two strangers comfort a lonely old man with a shared, ongoing fantasy. Drawn to a disturbance outside a San Francisco Chinatown restaurant, Robin and her grandmother find themselves play-acting, soothing a drunken cook named Wolf by pretending to be his lost wife and daughter. Wolf isn't fooled, but reminiscing with his "wife" and watching his brown-haired, green-eyed "daughter" dance makes him feel better, so he willingly goes along. On what becomes weekly visits, Robin receives as much comfort as she gives, for the domestic war between her Chinese mother and non-Chinese father (and the tension between traditional Chinese and typically American ideas of family obligation) has made home a hard place to be. In his characters' banter and behavior, Yep makes clear the difference between ethnic stereotypes and what is simply common--and when Wolf's real daughter, an illegal immigrant living in San Diego, puts in a surprise appearance, her loud, nasty rudeness casts an ironic light on Robin's efforts to be more "Chinese" for Wolf, i.e., silent, obliging, and submissive. Yep sensitively explores the complexities of immigrant culture from several points of view, creates an appealing, diverse cast, and gives his plot both a memorable premise (drawn, as he explains in an afterword, from actual incidents) and a strong, bittersweet ending. (Fiction. 10-13)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Children's Literature - Karen Porter
Robin Lee is watching the destruction of her family due to the conflicts between her Chinese mother and her mainstream American father. Her mother feels compelled to honor her Chinese heritage by helping her brothers start a business. Robin's father resents the time spent away from the immediate family. Robin feels out of touch with her Chinese heritage. When she visits Chinatown with her grandmother, the two are adopted by a cook at a local restaurant. They become an imaginary family and Robin learns to appreciate her heritage and feel part of her Chinese family. The story is interesting and easy to read, but as the plot unfolds, it becomes too simple. The happily-ever-after ending is too easily achieved. A sexual reference in the fifth chapter is neither necessary nor appropriate for children.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: This book carefully reveal the complicated immigrant culture, and shows people the power of ownership of ones culture. However, I also agree with the second review that the story seems to be too simple, and the happy ending is too easy.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This is in between a transitional chapter book and a chapter book. Even though I found it under the transitional chapter book category. Not only the language used but also the layout of this book shows that this is a book for upper graders.
Consideration of Instructional Application: Can be used to teach how to value one’s culture, and how to respect others’ culture.
August 4, 2022
I wasn’t as engaged as I wish I was, and felt that the book could be a bit more defined. I feel that since I wasn’t super interested/engaged, my mind wasn’t following the story line too well. I think the fight between Wolf and first daughter (the one that waited for him all those years) could have been more interesting. I felt like the fight was just a normal fight (she gets mad that he never came to her, throws some stuff, hurts people, then they leave and move to a different place). Personally, this book was just a little bland for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews