Best Of Rachel Phan's "Restaurant Kid"

Here is a selection of memorable quotes from Restaurant Kid: A Memoir of Family and Belonging by Rachel Phan

Interestingly, different studies show that second-generation Chinese Canadians actually have more mental illness than their immigrant parents. One hypothesized reason is that the children of immigrants don't have a root culture to hold onto-that third-culture kid phenomenon-while another suggests that the second generation is simply more open to admitting a problem and seeking help. I can't speak to the studies and the academic numbers. But I can understand not fully belonging anywhere. I understand feeling untethered and unmoored, with no roots anywhere to anchor you down. I understand how this makes you feel like you're on an island, alone and without the hope of rescue.

p.112

I am still of the age when I trust that the adults in my life know best. I still believe that their good intentions are there to protect and guide us, and if something makes me sad or feel an inexplicable pain in my chest, it is because there is something wrong with me. It is simply a sign that I need more protection, more guidance, more cruel words. We are lucky to be corrected by so many smiling, well-meaning people.  We are lucky to have so many people in our lives who are so free with their advice.

p.116-117

It's startling to accept that no matter how we identity, we never quite belong anywhere. We're always marked as Other, as people from elsewhere. In turn, I become more possessive and protective of my relationships with my family and the connections we've cultivated on this trip. Suddenly, the truth is stark. In this world, the bonds we have with each other are often all we really have. Borders and language and citizenship shift and evolve, are lost and taken away, but this— each other—is completely ours.

p.192