In the heart of Vancouver’s historic Chinatown, Kam Wai Dim Sum stands as more than just a beloved takeout spot — it's a symbol of family, resilience, and cultural pride. Now led by William Liu, Kam Wai was once helmed by his father and is still deeply rooted in community and tradition.

William didn’t always plan to take over the family business. Originally pursuing a career in opera, he returned to support the restaurant and help uplift the Vancouver Chinatown community through food. Since reopening in 2021, William and his sister Susan have faced challenges that reflect a changing social climate — especially when it comes to racism disguised as criticism of Chinese food.

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"We're very transparent, we do use MSG. And we are very proud of it, because it is a part of our culture. So we're not going to hide that away. But for people to use that as an attack on our culture is just so unfair."

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MSG is a naturally occurring compound found in countless foods. When faced by the occasional questioning and poignant accusations, the staff at Kam Wai have been trained to calmly respond and educate patrons.

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"I feel like one the biggest advantage that [my sister] Susan and I have is that we actually were born here and our second language is English. So we're not easy targets. But that doesn't mean we're not targeted. One way that that I feel like we're targeted a lot is actually through our food. So when we first reopened in 2021, White people mostly will come in and say why do you use MSG, why would you put this in food and hurt people? And we actually got this pretty much daily for a good two weeks. I'd train my staff to stay calm, how to approach it and explain MSG is actually a generic naturally occurring process in a lot of foods."

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The current leaders of Vancouver Chinatown's food scene, like William, stand on the shoulders of those who persevered through more systematic forms of discrimination. When Chinatown was a safe haven for early Chinese migrants and other marginalized communities. While overt racism may be less visible, challenges remain — from gentrification to cultural dilution. Kam Wai Dim Sum continues to thrive, not only because of the foo, but because of the values that have guided it for decades: family, hard work, and an unshakable commitment to community. When asked how racism has changed over the generations as a business owner in Vancouver’s Chinatown, William responded:

"My parents, they never [had to confront racism]; it was so safe for them to do business in Chinatown, because growing up, the entire community was Chinese. Everybody had their had their had each other's backs. I think racism was actually better as my dad would say, he always thought White people were the nicest people. Because he never really encountered that much. His community was Chinatown. We grew up two blocks down from work. So it was work, home, and work every single day. So there was really no reason to leave Chinatown. But if you would ask my dad now, he would say that white people are scarier than the people on the Downtown Eastside. People like Downtown Eastside, they're not gonna hurt you. They're there under poor circumstances, you know, they, they struggle all their life. They're not going to go out of the way and hurt you. But White people, on the other hand, they've had all the opportunities in life with all the privileges. And yet they still hurt us in any way because they have a right to.”

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