Angela Wilson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 22/02) - Lynn Huang and husband, Hoa Ngo, run The Diner next to the Gold Range on 50th Street in Yellowknife.

Since taking over the diner Dec. 1, 2001, the new owners have been cautious of making any drastic changes to the menu, said Huang.

She said she didn't want to change the menu right away because she has a lot of regular customers who come to the diner and expect the same food and drink day after day. She says some regular customers come as often as four times a day.

But recently, Huang said they've slowly been making changes. One of the new menu items is a chinese buffet.

"Right now, 'cause I have a buffet, I have a lot of new customers," she said.

Huang said a lot of the time, a customer will come in, try the food and then return usually bringing a family member with them.

The diner is looking to perhaps branch out into take-out and delivery for their Chinese food, but Huang said that might not be for a short while yet.

First, she said, she needs customers to trust that the new food is good.

"Our food is fresh, clean and (I) give (customers) good service," said Huang.

She said she also takes the time to talk to her cook and waitress and make sure everything is perfect for the customers.

Huang said she wasn't really expecting to take over a diner, but was thinking about going back to school instead.

"For one or two months, I was thinking I could not just go to school. I have three kids. I need to save some money for my kids to go to university," she said.

The hours are long and can sometimes be difficult, she said. Huang and her husband work 14- and 15-hour days. When she first took over the business, she had trouble finding employees to work and that made the days even longer. It can be hard, she said, especially when she's not feeling her best.

"Even when I'm very sick, I still work," she said.

The Chinese food at The Diner is also MSG-free, she said. Being a former nurse, Huang knows an intake of monosodium glutamate, a flavour-enhancer, over a long period of time could cause cancer.

New country, new language

Huang moved to Canada, and Yellowknife, in 1993 from China, where she worked as a nurse in a hospital in Quenzhao City in Sujian province.

She came alone and spoke no English when she arrived. Learning the language was one of the hardest things for her, she said.

She began working for the government cleaning bathrooms, at which point she decided it wasn't something she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

From that point on, she began learning English.

Huang said she came to Canada for a new challenge.

"At that time, I was young so I was thinking (I could) go outside of (the) country and get some new challenges," she said.

Huang said she noticed many things were different from her native China. Including the weather.

"In my home town, it never snows," she said. "(When) I came here (the) first year in September, I saw the snow. I was 33 when I first saw the snow."

Huang met her husband while she was visiting China. He was living in Calgary, Alta., at the time.

The two met through his uncle, whom Huang knows.

They married in China in 1999 and Ngo moved to Yellowknife to be with his wife.

The couple has three daughters, ages five, six and eight.

Her oldest daughter is in Grade 3 and Huang says she already speaks "very good English."

"She's learning very fast," she said.

Huang said her favourite part of owning The Diner is all the interesting people she gets to meet.

She said she enjoys talking to people and finding out what kinds of foods they like.

The Diner is currently open Mondays through Saturdays from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. and on Sundays from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.