Personal Account of Restaurants: The Maintinace of Nikkei-Peruvian Identity
The first restaurant that I entered was El Pollo Okey. The waiter and a family at the table next to me greeted me with questioning glances. Who was this gringo in Oizumi that spoke Spanish?! While I ate my pollo a la brasa and drank my delicious chicha morada I was observing the restaurant. I was surprised to see that there was very little hanging on the walls but a large bookshelf full of videocassettes. The majority of customers who entered the restaurant came to rent videos, not to eat. The people would return ten videos at a time and then rent ten more.
Upon entering Comercial E.M.Y. we were welcomed by cheerful
smiles and delicious food. The owners of the restaurant were both
gracious and kind. In a short amount of time they had established
a space that was inviting and warm to other Peruvians. There was
a group of young men in the corner 
playing
guitars and singing songs. Soon after we arrived, word got around
that we were from the U.S., and the singer changed his tune to
Let it Be by the Beatles. This brings up the interesting
question of whether my appearance influenced the answers to the
questions that I asked. I believe that in a face-to-face situation
it is inevitable that to varying degrees the interviewee is affected
by the interviewer. It is important to keep this in mind both
as a researcher and as a reader.
In cultural terms Carol was the most interesting restaurant of the three. I walked in, I watched a little of a Brazilian soap opera and noticed that the Guarana in the refrigerator was next to the Inca Cola. I was shocked to find Brazil and Peru side by side since up until that point I had heard stories about conflict between the two communities. When I interviewed the owner, she explained to me that she was married to a Brazilian and that in her restaurant all people are welcome. I began to wonder if the Peruvians in Oizumi felt pressured to assimilate into Brazilian culture? As it turned out, interviewees told me that they have picked up a lot of Portuguese in order to talk with coworkers and to buy products that are sold in Brazilian stores. It seems that Peruvians have to adopt to both Brazilian and Japanese culture in Oizumi.
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