<Begin Segment 20>

TI: Something else I have in my notes, that you started working at the Eastside Cafe? So when did you start working at the Eastside Cafe?

RS: Well, you know, I can't remember that. But all I remember is I worked there thirty years. See, my sister-in-law worked there.

TI: Is this the one that was the teacher?

RS: No.

TI: Okay, this is another sister.

RS: This is my sister-in-law that was married to my oldest brother.

TI: Okay.

RS: See, she's from Japan, and she worked banquets and so she got me interested in it. So I thought, well, I'll help a little bit. And then I had Grandma at home to take care of the kids, and so we're there.

TI: And so describe for me the Eastside Cafe. What kind of restaurant was that?

RS: It was, it was a family owned restaurant, served American and Japanese, Oriental food.

TI: And where was it located?

RS: Can't even describe it, but it's on the east side of town.

TI: Okay, of Ontario.

RS: Yeah. There's still a big sign there, it says Eastside.

TI: And who was the, who were the clientele?

RS: Everybody. It was the most popular place in town, in the area. People from Boise, they would come, just... and it was the food. This Pil, she was, her husband he was a wrestler, but Pil is Chinese, and she was one of those that, on this food thing. And he... but people would, on weekends, they would stand outside of the door, that's how popular it was, see. And to this day, after they closed and everything, and where I moved to, because my kids living there, he learned cooking at the Eastside. And to this day, they have this restaurant called... can't even think anymore, but Annie's. And he has kept... he served the same food and kept it the same, and we still have people coming because of the Eastside food.

TI: So describe... if someone said, "What's the specialty of the Eastside or now Annie's?

RS: Mandarin chicken.

TI: Mandarin chicken? So that's kind of a Chinese dish, Mandarin chicken?

RS: Yeah, but it's all white meat of the chicken with the sauce on it, and people, oh, they just love it. And then he has specials, you know, but he never changes -- because right how there's another Oriental restaurant here in town, and they have Mandarin chicken, but they cut corners, they use dark meat or whatever. And like Fun, he has kept it the same.

TI: So he really learned, or he learned what they were doing at Eastside and said, "I'm not going to mess with success, I'll just use the same."

RS: And we have, our weekend is something else.

TI: Now back at the Eastside Cafe, what was your job there? What did you do?

RS: I started out in banquet and then I started waiting on tables.

TI: Now, so they had a banquet kind of business, so what kind of banquets would you have at the Eastside?

RS: Any kind. We have... especially for like the area teachers, sports teachers, they would have the Eastside fried chicken, and that was, people, they would come.

TI: Now were there ever any banquets for the Japanese community?

RS: Oh yeah, oh yeah, they do.

TI: So what group would have banquets?

RS: Any kind. It was just a popular place. And we'd do weddings and things, funerals or things, we had to do it. It's just awesome.

TI: So you really got to know, in some cases, through the banquets, see the real Japanese community coming together.

RS: Yeah.

TI: And this was a time when the Isseis were still alive, too.

RS: Uh-huh.

TI: And so tell me how they were at these banquets? What were they like?

RS: Themselves.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.