1 00:00:09,921 --> 00:00:13,634 ♪ Cambodian music ♪ 2 00:00:22,476 --> 00:00:27,987 [DONUT PEOPLE] 3 00:00:30,297 --> 00:00:32,943 [Samoeurn Phan] 4 00:00:33,512 --> 00:00:35,533 [Affectionately known as Pou Sam (Uncle Sam)] 5 00:00:35,804 --> 00:00:38,300 [Sam has opened over 20 donut shops 6 00:00:38,705 --> 00:00:41,305 for Cambodian families across Houston.] 7 00:00:42,148 --> 00:00:43,804 (Uncle Sam) Well, when I came here in 1994 8 00:00:44,360 --> 99:59:59,999 to eat one donut you didn't realize how much work goes into one donut 9 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 until you actually go into doing the donuts. 10 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You know, it takes quite a bit just to make one donut. 11 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I start off by finding a location. 12 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If I find a location, 13 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I get a family that needs a donut shop to go to look at the location, 14 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and if they like it, we negotiate the price, 15 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and if the price is right, I build it for them and turn them the key. 16 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You know, most of them already know how to make donuts. 17 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They work for a family member, 18 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you know, they've already worked for like two, three or five years 19 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to save up the money to start up the business. 20 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Chandara Meas Owner of Snowflake Donuts, Galveston] 21 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Cambodian Immigrant] 22 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 (Chandara Meas) That's what I'm saying, when I came to the States, 23 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I don't have no relatives with me, I don't speak that much English, 24 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I gotta start to learn English 25 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and start to work to support myself... 26 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I don't have chance to go back to college, 27 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so I end up at a donut shop. 28 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Most Cambodians who take us, 29 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they own a donut shop, they run a donut business... 30 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 yeah, you know, it's hard to do it, 31 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 not many people want to do that job as I'm doing right now. 32 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Countless Cambodians were tortured] 33 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [and more than a million were killed] 34 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime.] 35 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [More than a million Cambodians fled and became refugees.] 36 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 From 1975 to 1979, 37 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 there's Khmer Rouge ran by Pol Pot. 38 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 At that time I was 10 years old... 39 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I still remember the torture, 40 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 lot of people died by starving and sickness... 41 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 most of [the time] they were killing people. 42 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 That was a hard time 43 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and that was the worst thing that happened in the world. 44 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Most Cambodians escaped from the war in 1981after the Khmer Rouge regime, 45 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and when they started to come here, people don't speak that much English, 46 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so that's why they started working at donut shops 47 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because most of them what they do are family business -- 48 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This is my wife's nephew. 49 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 He just came to the USA last year. 50 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 He came in a special case that they call "Lottery Visa". 51 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 He's a lucky one that won a lottery green card. 52 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The business we just opened-- it is kind of slow, it's brand new. 53 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Hopefully, we can stay for a long time until we get some profit... 54 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to take care of my family, my kids... 55 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 go to school, go to college... 56 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I have a beautiful kid. 57 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's like, if you work for a company, 58 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you have a different schedule than the donut people. 59 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So the donut people, we wake up at 2:00 or 3:00 am, 60 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and we'll be done by 12:00 or 1:00 pm, and take a couple-of-hours-nap, 61 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and, you know, get together and then, go to sleep, and wake up, 62 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and go to make some more donuts! 63 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 (man singing Karaoke in Cambodian) 64 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Tao Ngo Vietnamese Restaurant North Houston] 65 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [Cambodian Karaoke Party] 66 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 4:10 67 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Hola Maria 68 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Hola Juan 69 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 yo soy 111 70 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 22233 71 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Jenny