The Sound of Racism

What is racism? and how does it affects everyone

2/9/20254 min read

First lets define what is racism?

According to Google search:
/ˈreɪsɪz(ə)m/ - prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.

Racism is when a person is treated worse, excluded, disadvantaged, harassed, bullied, humiliated or degraded because of their race or ethnicity.

Anyway, I am not sure about this article if I can offend someone or somebody I am not here to judge or to embarrass anyone. This is just a pure experience that I had recently.

I live in Asia and in Asia there are lots of different countries. Every Asian country has its own language and beliefs, behavior, they have their own way of life, religion possibly and many other things. So its not true that all Asians speaks and read Chinese and not all Asian countries are good in the English Language. Lot of Food variation in every Asian countries and most of all culture are not the same as well in every part of Asia.
So I am Asian and I travel most of my life around Asia, and here in Hong Kong I spent 10 years of my life now, originally I am not from Hong Kong.
My family and I sometimes we all go together to eat in this restaurant nearby where we live and I really recommend this restaurant as food is really tasty and have lots of good choices and I am happy that there's a nice place to eat just near our home.
One time, I went to this restaurant by myself and I want to order some food for take away, As I enter I noticed how this shop owner talks to me. I feel its a kind of rude but I am not quite sure as I am thinking maybe its just the way how she speaks, but there is really a strong sense when I am ordering food I feel she is not entertained to speak to me. I just ignore. Took my take away, paid and went off. As soon as I left, feel this bad treatment.
After 2 months I went there again to their shop to order take away, This time I want to have some soup, so I showed the Chinese words to them and the staff and shop owner told me, we do not have it, go that that shop but its already closed. Both of them just left me inside their restaurant, but I said wait I want to order food please come back. Both of them are quite reluctant to come back and they stared to each other started to speak Chinese to themselves, I can't understand. Until the shop owner decided to speak to me but this time I really can tell oh she really not happy to speak to me and I can feel rude actions and facial expressions, she ask me in a strong tone "do you want to order?" her strong tone and a command you can really tell, she do not like to talk to me. You will really feel that she is really being in charge. I politely and smile and answer yes I want to order food for my dinner. She respond again with this strong tone speaking, "you eat here or take away". I really feel embarrassed how she talks to me and I still respond "yes its for take away" me still showing respect like I'm so sorry to bother you, something like that.
Then I asked, do you have Siumai here? coz I suddenly feel i want to have some and bring it home. All of a sudden here she spoke to me like lecturing me, the tone of her voice changes "WE Do not have siumai here and we do not have dumpling here we sell here noodles and rice food do you understand? No siu mai here no dumpling here this is not this type of restaurant do you understand?" talking to me really rudely embarrassing me, I lost my patience and cut her talking and I said, OK I asked because I do not know ... do you understand because I do not know, are you angry? why are you angry? I saw in her face, she was shocked to my reply and she silently and show respect a bit and answered no i am not angry.
They didn't offer any menu or tell me what they have today then acting this behavior towards me. How would I know what you have. I cannot speak your language and cannot read Chinese too.
She asked me what do i like to order? where are your menu or at least tell me something, just no choices? So to cut the conversation with this woman, i just told her just give me beef noodles in soup and fried rice, Paid , took my order and leave.
I am not going down to her level and I told my family about this restaurant treatment towards me. I do not want to engage to any argument to a small shop owner. Its a waste of my time.

.I am not going to disclose any location or address of the restaurant or the owners name. Respecting the privacy and livelihood of everyone. Minding my own business.