Licensing

The Traditional Nisei Role in the Family

As a young Nisei it was Masao's responsibility to not only care for his younger siblings, but also contribute to the family income;thus, he worked at the family market, located on Temple St., Los Angeles. It was very common among Issei's to have large families; due to the fact large families enabled more workers, which resulted in more income for the family.
A personal story that was shared in the market spoke about a time in which Masao told his younger sister, Sumiko, how to make chili beans. He told her to put the can of chili in a pot, so she did as she was told. As they were all working in the front of the store they heard a loud explosion. It turned out that she simply turned on the fire and put the whole can of chili in the pot. The can of chili had exploded and the chili had shot all over the ceiling and on the ceiling fan.