“I’m an American.” Ten shades of ten Koreans. The journey of how they struggled, settled, and succeeded in the United States. The second story, the journey of sushi chef Cho Kwong-hyun.
Cho Kwong-hyun (Sushi Chef)
“I moved to America so I can be happy. I came looking for a place where I can live comfortably with my family, with my children. I began my business, but it wasn’t going so well.”
Cho came to the U.S. so that he can begin a new life. He thought his immigrant life would be better than his life in South Korea.
It didn’t appear so difficult in the beginning, and he thought he could live like others if he worked moderately.
Cho Kwong-hyun (Sushi Chef)
“It was really difficult in the beginning. It was very hard. I worked like crazy holding two jobs. And it got me this far.”
Cho has been living and working in Virginia, near Washington D.C. for about twenty years after first landing in Los Angeles. In South Korea, Cho worked as a head clerk of a paralegal agency, but now, he works as a sushi chef at a restaurant.
Cho Kwong-hyun (Sushi Chef)
“When I was young, cooking was my hobby. When I was asked what my special skill was while I attended middle school or high school, I said cooking. I enjoyed cooking so I was able to learn to work with a sushi knife quickly.”
Cho said he saw and experienced first-hand many economic downturns in the U.S. and how that affected his life. And he managed to ride through economic ups and downs to proudly said that he is a successful sushi chef.
Cho Kwong-hyun (Sushi Chef)
“Cooking made it possible for me to be here. It gave me a new life. I’m very proud to be here at this point in my life as a chef after learning new skills.”
Back then when things were scarce, learning to make sushi was not an easy task.
Cho Kwong-hyun (Sushi Chef)
“When I began to practice making sushi, I took left over rice that a Korean restaurant would throw away. I took newspapers and cut them into small pieces to use them as dried seaweed slices to wrap them around the rice. I was told to draw different fish. I remember that the most.”
Cho overcame the challenges of the past and came thus far with a confidence that he is one of the best in the field.
Cho Kwong-hyun (Sushi Chef)
“With confidence, you can learn (to cook). It’s not that difficult. You can read a lot of books on cooking. I always have three to four books that I read in my car.”
There is a memorable moment that he remembers.
Cho Kwong-hyun (Sushi Chef)
“Customers would come and order a takeout. But on my days off, people wouldn’t order sushi (because they want to order what I make). Also, customers would visit to chat and have a drink with me. It makes me so happy.”
“What makes you the happiest to live in America?”
Cho Kwong-hyun (Sushi Chef)
“America is a country where you can live a very happy family-centered life. In South Korea, you have to do the things you don’t want (even if you have to sacrifice a family time). But it's not like that in America.”
To Cho, America is a country that provided a new life for him where he is able to enjoy his success like others by working hard in what he believed in.
Cho Kwong-hyun (Sushi Chef)
“I went through the good times and bad times. I know how to cope with the bad times and thrive with the good times so I believe 100 percent that things will go well if an opportunity comes.”
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