Cathy Bao Bean

Who is Cathy Bao Bean?

Cathy Bao Bean is a Chinese-American writer and educator, is the author of The Chopsticks-Fork Principle: A Memoir and Manual. She lives in Blairstown, New Jersey, with her husband, artist Bennett Bean

The Chopsticks-Fork Principle, a humorous but poignant memoir, recounts Bao Bean's experiences as a Chinese immigrant growing up in the United States. Bao Bean uses the story of her own immigrant experience to explain how to reconcile the expectations of families and society at large. She also explains how to raise a child in a respectful context while also choosing the “path less traveled.”

Bao Bean was born Bao Kwei-yee in Guilin, China, on August 27, 1942, to Sandys and Dora Bao. Her father, Sandys Bao, represented the Republic of China at the International Sugar Council of the United Nations; he also served as Vice President of the Taiwan Sugar Corporation. Cathy Bao Bean has two sisters, Bette Bao Lord and Jean Bao.

When Bao Bean's father was sent to New York for a temporary assignment in 1946, he insisted on his family accompanying him. Her mother, however, thought that only the eldest, eight-year-old Bette, would benefit from the trip.