“I forbade my daughter from opening up a restaurant,” said the restaurant owner.
“Why?” I asked. “You started a restaurant; a few of them, actually. You were very successful. Shouldn’t you be happy that your daughter wants to follow in your footsteps?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m not.” He paused and fixated on the tablecloth. “I came to this country a poor man. I worked hard, very hard, every day of my life to build these restaurants.”
He held out his arm and patted his bicep. “I had to use the muscles in my arms to build these businesses.”
I nodded.
“My daughter, I gave her an education in this country so she wouldn’t have to work hard like me. Same is true for you. Your parents came to this country and gave you an education too. What we want from you, our children, is to work smart, not hard.”
He patted his forehead. “Use the muscles in your brain, not the muscles in your arms, to build your businesses.”
He sat back in his seat and sighed. “That’s why I don’t want my daughter opening up a restaurant. And that’s why I wouldn’t advise you to open up a restaurant either.”
