Questions and Answers
1| 2| 3| 4

Interview #3

Name: Eleanor
Profession: retired but she use to work at the Wah Mei restuarant
Nationality: Irish

We decided to interview Eleanor because she happened to work at the Wah Mei restaurant before. She happened to know a lot that went down in the International District.

1) What about Chinatown/ International District most represents you and why?
A: Not anymore. Everyone was friendly and everyone sat outside the restaurant and they had a tavern on the corner where the park is and in the summer time, you could hear jukeboxes –it was a friendly place. There weren’t any transients around and everyone was mostly Chinese, but there were also Filipinos and Japanese and a few African Americans. It was very open and friendly and safe and open.

2) What past memory do you remember most about Chinatown/ International District?
A: That was what I remembered the most, they used to sweep the streets and everything was clean. I worked as a waitress on Maynard and it was a nice restaurant that people came to eat and socialize. They never had as many stores like they do now. People were smiling all the time. People used to go to Maynard Café to eat after being out all night. You could order steak and eggs or whatever you wanted.

3) What do you know about Chinatown/ International District's history?
A: Wah Mei was a private club –you would ring a bell if they knew you, but if they didn’t they wouldn’t let you in. There was a bar and drinking with a juke box and dancing. Most places were only open from 12PM to 12AM, but Wah Mei stayed open after hours till 3AM-4AM. The gambling started later on after the club officially closed. At that time, there was also no alcohol sold on Sundays. From what I heard they were still gambling there and it was illegal in Chinatown when that incident happened down there. There were also two sets of doors so I’m not sure how they got in unless they left one of the doors open.

4) How was Chinatown/ International District changed since you have first remembered it? And when was the first time you saw Chinatown/ International District?
A: The first time I ever saw Chinatown was about four years after I first went to Seattle. It was the place to hang out, so we would go down and socialize. As I said everyone was friendly. People just had fun. The restaurant owners have changed over the years, so it slowly changed all of them. The only one that hasn’t changed much is Tai-Tung. It is still the same. I also lived in Chinatown briefly before we moved to Beacon Hill. Whites were the minority at that time and still are.

5) Name something good in the past about Chinatown/ International District? Something bad?
A: The friendliness and openness. The Wah-Mei incident was the worse thing. I don’t’ know if young people started getting in to gangs or what, but that was a bad incident.

6) Name something good in the present about Chinatown/ International District? Something bad?
A: Not as friendly as it used to be and too many businesses. Everyone doesn’t know everyone like they used to. The parade they have every year now is nice and the festival. Maybe it will bring back some of the friendliness.

1| 2| 3| 4