KFC and the American Dream

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I read an Alaska Dispatch News Article that made me smile and proud to live in America - the land of opportunity, where, believe it or not, one can still live the American Dream. I'll cut and paste some excerpts from the article below written by Charles Wohlforth, but I really recommend you clicking on the hyperlink above to read the whole thing.

Tuoi Yungbauer escaped Saigon days before the city fell to the North Vietnamese army in 1975. A year later, she got a job at the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant at Northern Lights Boulevard and C Street (in Anchorage).  She still works there.

I went to meet Yungbauer because I had never heard of anyone working 41 years at a fast-food counter. But instead of getting a story about an oddity, I learned about strength, perseverance and the promise of America.  Yungbauer can't help smiling. I watched at the end of a long shift as she greeted each customer with wide-eyed excitement. Her co-workers said she fires them up too.

Yungbauer bought a house in the 1980s, after the economy crashed and empty homes dotted Anchorage.  She had saved $20,000 from 10 years of fast-food wages. So she bought a $20,000 house. (Her pay started at $3.65 an hour; now she makes $10.50.) 

But at first she couldn't live in her cottage in Mountain View. The inside was wrecked, without insulation, needing a complete remodel.  Yungbauer borrowed a book about framing, drywall and roofing. She bought lumber one piece at a time and brought it home on her bicycle.  She figured out, with her small size, how to get heavy sheets of drywall to the ceiling. She textured it with a rainbow pattern.

Tuoi bought a 20-year-old Pontiac because Anchorage's bus system didn't run during some of her work hours. She paid $200 for the car and loves it.  She eats rice and homegrown vegetables. She still sews clothes. She has gone back to Vietnam for dental work and an eye operation to save money.

But while she and Albert don't have enough money to do anything for fun, they are fun. They laugh and tease. Albert has red hair, and Tuoi calls him "the volcano."

This is my favorite part:

Anchorage is home now. She became an American citizen in 1978. When she goes back to Vietnam, people tell her she speaks the language with an American accent.  She said most people in Anchorage are friendly, but she sometimes runs into bigots.
"They say, 'Why don't you go back home?' And I say, 'Hey, wait a minute, I didn't ask you for anything. I worked for my money,' " she said.  I told her that story made me angry. She said, "I think they're very insecure for themselves."
I grew up in Anchorage with every advantage. America gave me incredible opportunities and asked for next to nothing in return.

Tuoi is quite a hero!  I love reading stories like this about people who are small in stature (the article states she is 4'8"), but are actually larger than life.  A couple of years ago I was at an LSU football game and there was a large group of Vietnamese LSU Alumni that were tailgating next to us.  They invited us over to eat with them and we ate all sorts of delicious food.  They told us stories similar to Tuoi's about how they came over to the United States after the fall of Saigon.

They told us about how their families settled in South Louisiana and worked on shrimp boats and restaurants and how they went to LSU and got educated.  They introduced us to brothers, cousins and uncles who were now doctors, dentists, lawyers, and engineers. They LOVE America and the opportunity they were given to become successful.  I admire the work ethic, the dedication, and drive these wonderful Americans have.

I don't know who to attribute this saying to, but I think it holds true:

Hard times make strong men.

Strong men create good times.

Good times create weak men.

Weak men create hard times.