Growing Up in New Jersey with Parents from Different Parts of China
Marianne Ho Barnum (right) and Kevin Chang Barnum (left) when they were younger.
Summary:
Marianne Ho Barnum talks with Kevin Chang Barnum about growing up in New Jersey, going to Kam Kuo Supermarket in Manhattan’s Chinatown, and having a family with roots in different regions of China.
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Interviewed: 06/16/2022
Narrator: Marianne Ho Barnum
Interviewer: Kevin Chang Barnum
Interview length: 1h 05m
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Growing Up in New Jersey with Parents from Different Parts of China
Interview Log
01:09 MHB talks about her childhood in New Jersey. MHB remembers being outside a lot, and her sister finding a monkey.
08:20 MHB examines her mother’s relationship with family cooking.
19:56 MHB discusses going to school in New Jersey and her parents’ jobs.
28:43 MHB talks about going into New York City as a child and particularly remembers the grocery store they would go to, called Kam Kuo.
35:40 MHB remembers what she would do in the grocery store as a child, which also leads to a brief discussion of birthday celebrations.
45:15 MHB recounts why she knows some words in Shanghainese, but other words in Cantonese.
51:30 MHB reflects on how going to Chinatown as a child has impacted who she is today.
56:20 MHB discusses her parents’ journey to the U.S. and how them being from different parts of China has influenced her outlook.