I recently told the ex-Pegasus that I've always wanted to write a sociological study of Chinese restaurants, especially the small lunch counters that appear on every block in Brooklyn, not to mention Helsinki and Saugatuck, Michigan. Where do they come from? How do they find their staff? Where does the guy with the scooter sleep?

This article in the Times (by former Crimson writer Jennifer 8. Lee, whose inexplicable byline is fondly remembered by quite a few Harvard students) goes a long way towards answering these questions. Apparently there's a cluster of Chinatown employment agencies under the Manhattan bridge that send chefs and staff (including "deliverymen who can drive" and "deliverymen who don't need to drive") to Chinese restaurants from Queens to South Carolina:

For workers who cannot read the names of their destinations in English, area codes serve as the restaurants' main geographical identifiers. The workers do not see America as a series of cities or even states, but as a collection of area codes, almost all with dozens upon dozens of Chinese restaurants looking for help. Maps in every Chinese agency break down the country by area code, with recently introduced area codes scribbled in by hand.

Jobs beyond commuting distance of New York include free room and board in restaurant-provided dorms. (Workers commute on the Chinatown bus, of course.)

Anyway, the article confirms what I've always suspected: if you're at a Chinese restaurant that employs non-Chinese workers, watch out. Something just ain't right.