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MA: So most of the people that went into farming were Japanese American?

KI: Yes.

MA: What were some other ethnic groups that did, went into farming? Was it mostly Isseis?

KI: Most... I think, yeah. Well, see, in town, Watsonville had a little Japanese community, there was a tofu-ya, there was a family that made tofu. And there was, like, Ben Torigoe, he was a watchmaker and a bicycle repair shop, and there was barbers and a pool hall operator and stuff. There was a little business community, but most of us were farmers.

MA: And there was also, you were telling me earlier, a Chinese community in Watsonville?

KI: Well, yeah, Watsonville used to have quite a bit of that. The Chinese families, a couple of 'em had grocery stores, and a lot of little places like herb company and stuff. But there was one family of Chinese that was farming, the Kwoks, I don't know what happened to them. We always marveled that there was one Chinese family that was a farmer, and that was the only one. All the rest were business or something.

MA: Do you know why all the Chinese went into business and the Japanese went into farming?

KI: They're smarter than the Nihonjins. [Laughs] The Japanese would work their tails off all summer, and then we said, then they bring it to the Chinamen. [Laughs] Oh, how stupid. I said, see, I said, "They sleep all during the day and take your money while you slave in the daytime." That's what we used to, when we were growing up, we used to laugh and say that, "My goodness, they were the smart ones."

MA: And there was also Filipino workers as well on the farms?

KI: Oh yes, we had lots of Filipino workers. And they were such dandies, you know, because they were made to dress nice. Because I guess, I don't know who made that rule, maybe they saw all the Nihonjins not that well-dressed going into town. But by the time the Filipinos came over, they made a rule that you had to be -- so they were really in the fancy pants and silk shirts, and we had a Japanese school on lower Union that, right across the street where there was houses. And we used to watch, and I know the school instructor used to get mad at us and says, "You kids get inside," said, "don't watch those things." [Laughs] Those ladies will be piggybacked and getting their picture taken and stuff, and they would all be in dressing gowns and stuff. Oh, we used to, you know kids, anything.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright ©2008 Densho and the Watsonville - Santa Cruz JACL. All Rights Reserved.