Season 2 Ep 7 - A PhD Take on Chinese Restaurants in Australia

Today, we meet with Barbara Nicole, a PhD and expert in the emergence of Chinese restaurants in Australia from the late nineteenth century through the 1950's.

We sit with Barbara in the Chinese Museum in Melbourne where she volunteers and discuss her research to understand why you can find a Chinatown in most cities in Australia, how Chinese restaurants came to be in even the smallest of Australian towns, and the impact Chinese had on the immigration policies of Australia. We begin to understand Melbourne’s roll in this emergence and see how legislation, war, and business led to the prominent cuisine so cherished by Melbourne residents.

Stay with us as we learn how the past and the future of Melbourne is shaped by the Chinese.