0:00:01.129,0:00:05.782 ♪ Cambodian music ♪ 0:00:22.064,0:00:29.671 [DONUT PEOPLE] 0:00:30.493,0:00:31.987 [Samoeurn Phan] 0:00:31.987,0:00:35.256 [Affectionately known as[br]Pou Sam (Uncle Sam)] 0:00:35.256,0:00:39.040 [Sam has opened over 20 donut shops[br]for Cambodian families across Houston.] 0:00:39.040,0:00:41.969 (Uncle Sam) Well, when I came here in 1994 0:00:41.969,0:00:47.056 to eat one donut you didn't realize[br]how much work goes into one donut 0:00:47.997,0:00:51.374 until you actually go into[br]doing the donuts. 0:00:52.779,0:00:57.446 You know, it takes quite a bit[br]just to make one donut. 0:00:58.150,0:01:00.648 I start off by finding a location. 0:01:00.648,0:01:02.454 If I find a location, 0:01:02.454,0:01:07.597 I get a family that needs a donut shop [br]to go to look at the location, 0:01:07.597,0:01:10.728 and if they like it,[br]we negotiate the price, 0:01:11.191,0:01:13.571 and if the price is right,[br]I build it for them and turn them the key. 0:01:14.597,0:01:17.664 You know, most of them[br]already know how to make donuts. 0:01:17.664,0:01:20.040 They work for a family member, 0:01:20.040,0:01:23.652 you know, they've already worked[br]for like two, three or five years 0:01:23.942,0:01:27.133 to save up the money[br]to start up the business. 0:01:27.903,0:01:29.681 [Chandara Meas[br]Owner of Snowflake Donuts, Galveston] 0:01:29.681,0:01:32.562 [Cambodian Immigrant] 0:01:34.974,0:01:37.243 (Chandara Meas) That's what I'm saying,[br]when I came to the States, 0:01:37.243,0:01:40.904 I don't have no relatives in here,[br]I don't speak that much English, 0:01:40.904,0:01:42.631 I gotta start to learn English 0:01:42.631,0:01:44.671 and start to work to support myself... 0:01:45.451,0:01:47.616 and I don't have chance[br]to go back to college, 0:01:47.616,0:01:50.668 so I end up at a donut shop. 0:01:50.668,0:01:54.359 Most Cambodians who take us, 0:01:54.359,0:01:57.706 they own a donut shop, [br]they run a donut business... 0:01:59.399,0:02:02.193 yeah, you know, it's hard to do it, 0:02:02.672,0:02:05.745 not many people want to do that job[br]as I'm doing right now. 0:02:07.029,0:02:09.295 [Countless Cambodians were tortured] 0:02:09.295,0:02:11.577 [and more than a million were killed] 0:02:11.577,0:02:13.244 [under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime.] 0:02:13.244,0:02:15.444 [More than a million Cambodians fled[br]and became refugees.] 0:02:15.444,0:02:17.778 From 1975 to 1979, 0:02:17.778,0:02:19.446 there's Khmer Rouge ran by Pol Pot. 0:02:19.446,0:02:22.279 At that time I was 10 years old... 0:02:22.279,0:02:24.944 I still remember the torture, 0:02:24.944,0:02:29.662 lot of people died [br]by starving and sickness... 0:02:29.662,0:02:33.129 most of [the time] [br]they were killing people. 0:02:33.662,0:02:34.928 That was a hard time 0:02:34.928,0:02:39.195 and that was the worst thing [br]that happened in the world. 0:02:39.861,0:02:46.862 Most Cambodians escaped from the war [br]in 1981after the Khmer Rouge regime, 0:02:46.862,0:02:53.412 and when they started to come here,[br]people don't speak that much English, 0:02:53.412,0:02:57.711 so that's why they started[br]working at donut shops 0:02:57.711,0:03:00.312 because most of them what they do [br]are family business -- 0:03:01.711,0:03:03.529 This is my wife's nephew. 0:03:03.529,0:03:06.295 He just came to the USA last year. 0:03:07.162,0:03:10.329 He came in a special case[br]that they call "Lottery Visa". 0:03:10.329,0:03:13.462 He's a lucky one [br]that won a lottery green card. 0:03:16.595,0:03:21.812 The business we just opened--[br]it is kind of slow, it's brand new. 0:03:21.812,0:03:27.245 Hopefully, we can stay for a long time[br]until we get some profit... 0:03:27.245,0:03:30.928 to take care of my family, my kids... 0:03:31.195,0:03:32.878 go to school, go to college... 0:03:33.611,0:03:36.079 I have a beautiful kid. 0:03:39.345,0:03:42.477 It's like, if you work for a company, 0:03:42.477,0:03:45.111 you have a different schedule[br]than the donut people. 0:03:45.111,0:03:49.261 So the donut people,[br]we wake up at 2:00 or 3:00 am, 0:03:49.261,0:03:53.628 and we'll be done by 12:00 or 1:00 pm,[br]and take a couple-of-hours-nap, 0:03:53.628,0:03:57.979 and, you know, get together[br]and then, go to sleep, and wake up, 0:03:57.979,0:04:00.329 and go to make some more donuts! 0:04:02.079,0:04:07.261 (man singing Karaoke in Cambodian) 0:04:10.744,0:04:13.561 [Tao Ngo Vietnamese Restaurant[br]North Houston] 0:04:13.561,0:04:15.528 [Cambodian Karaoke Party] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (end of singing) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Yeah, we like to get together[br]because, you know, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we work seven days a week. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Some of us wake up at 1:00 am, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 some of us wake up at 2:00 am, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 some of us at 3:00 am, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we work seven days a week, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 you know, this is the only fun we have. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Cambodian music) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I would say 95% of the donut shops[br]in Texas, not just in Houston, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in Texas is Cambodian people owned. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 One one-big -family, that's all. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Cambodian music) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Second Generation Donut Shop Owner] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Roth's parents, sisters, aunts,] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [and uncles all own donut shops.] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 My parents bought the store in 1994. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They would always bring us on weekends[br]because we have school on weekdays. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I really dread waking up on the weekend[br]just to come make donut, you know. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They told me one day[br]I'm going to own my business 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and I kind of say[br]I didn't want to do this. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This is not my first choice[br]of what I really wanted to do. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 For me, going to school[br]what I really wanted to do, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I wanted to experience that life. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 One day I woke up and I realized[br]I didn't want to work for somebody else. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I called my mom and I told her[br]I wanted to come back home 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and try this again, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and she was very excited,[br]very happy for me 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that I can kind of woke up[br]and I wanted to do this. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I get up at 4:00 am, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and my sisters get up[br]at around 2 - 2:30 am, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 they're closer to the plant[br]so they wake up earlier, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to go to the plant and-- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm fortunately to have[br]a little bit of both, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 so I can stay in bed a little longer[br]and they can-- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So when I first got to Houston[br]I didn't know-- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I thought my family was the only one[br]that was doing donuts 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but I come to find out that 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a lot of Cambodian people[br]have done this way before we have... 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You know, it's like a community[br]of helping out each other, you know, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 like, people were telling each other[br]what can make you successful 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and I don't think anybody[br]was envious of each other, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 just wanted to see our culture succeed, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the donut business [br]is where it started 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 for a lot of these Cambodian cultures. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's definitely a dream 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that a lot of people want[br]when they are in Cambodia, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to have their own place, back in Cambodia. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's a fast-pace life. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Every day is a struggle to find[br]money and food for the family. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It made me realized[br]what I have out here in America. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 As hard as I work down here, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I think that they work harder over there[br]to make a small living. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 My first place when I came,[br][...] Donald en el Dorado, Webster