<Begin Segment 6>

TL: You mentioned that Mr. Canlis, when he was looking for women to serve as waitresses, that someone mentioned to him --

[Interruption]

YB: No, we had a Matron's Club that we organized two years after I came from California. And, I have a picture of our group. But, then there again they had selected me as the first president of the group. And right now there's only about four or five of us left. And so, no matter how tired I am, if they ask me to come -- "Oh, but you gotta' come." So I dragged myself out yesterday. Then I had to go to one last night so I thought, "Gee, will I be able to be around today?"

TL: So were the women who you recruited to work at Mr. Canlis' restaurant, were they all members of the Matron's Club?

YB: No, not really all. Because our group that was originally organized, pretty much stayed that way and this was right after the war. So the group that, the original group was completely different from the one after the war.

TL: Okay.

YB: And I happened to know them and then individuals that I would talk to say, "Oh, I know who else would like to join. If you're going to go, maybe the husband or the father will let her go." And that's how I happened to get them. And they were all really very nice people. And the one girl, the woman, young lady, I should say -- when he wanted to appoint me as the head waitress, I said, "Mr. Canlis, I'm the oldest, I'm the shortest, and inexperienced." But I said, "This one young lady, who is tall and stately and very gracious -- " Rosemary Beppu, one of the Beppu brothers' wife, very lovely girl. And her father had a restaurant at one time, and she used to help her daddy, so she knew restaurant business. And I said, "Canlis, she has everything. Why don't we select her?" He says, "Well, if you say so." So we had Rosemary, but every time she had problems, "Yone-san, will you come to the rescue?" She says, "I'm having problems. Father wants me to come upstairs, and I don't know what he's going to say or do to me, but I need some moral support." So I'd go with her. And he always screams, or yells, or whatever. He can't say it quietly and nicely.

TL: This is Mr. Canlis?

YB: Yes, that's Mr. Canlis. He couldn't be any different. He was nice in one way, but he had to just scream at everybody. And even the customers that came in felt sorry for the girls, thought he was terrible. However, we'd go to the meeting and sometime the girls would cry, and I'd feel so bad for them that I'd end up crying. "Grandma, what you crying about?" [Laughs] He bawled me out! And then I'd tell him, "Mr. Canlis, there's one thing I wish you'd understand. Here in the mainland, those of us who have been born and raised here -- I don't mean to down the girls in Hawaii, but they're much stronger, and braver, and they can fight back. But we weren't taught to fight back when our superiors or boss would speak to us. We'd take whatever was coming our way, and listen to them." So I said, "Would you handle the girls with that in mind, and handle them with a little more kindness?" And he smiles at me and didn't say a word. But then he forgets, and he says, "Whose table is this? Who forgot that? Dollar fine." And you get so busy you can't get at it right away, and the customers used to look, you know, feel so bad for us. [Laughs] But he would never change.

TL: So working at Canlis' restaurant, that took place...

YB: Twelve years.

TL: Well, for twelve years, and about how long after the war, after people had been released from camp?

YB: I think it was about four or five years, I guess. After we came back.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.