Asian Culture Discussion Thread

I haven't been to the PI before, but from what I've heard from my friends there, it's amazing if you're well off, and terrible if you're not. My friends don't want to move here, but then again, they live in the Makati and BGC areas of Manila, so they have no reason to. From what I've seen and heard, it would be a huge downgrade for them. Those are the areas where the rich politicians' and businessmen's kids go to party and do drugs all night while Duterte terrorizes poorer neighborhoods :smh:

I think you've mentioned this before too, but my Filipino American friends have zero desire to go back, while my Filipino friends have zero desire to leave their neighborhoods . My American born friends are descendants of poorer families while the native friends are all sheltered upper middle class, so there's a huge divide in how they perceive the country.

Yeah Singapore is :pimp: I go there almost every year to visit friends/cousins, so it's in my top 3 choices of countries to move to when/if my dad gets better. Cleanliness and a lack of ignorant behavior in public is huge to me, and Singapore is the GOAT in that sense :lol: Not much to see for tourism, but a great place to live.

Everything you said is truth. And trust the dudes peeing in the streets and homeless kids running around trying to grab your phone is real. Makati/BGC was like a weekend getaway for me and my filam friends :lol

One of the biggest regrets is that I wasn’t able to travel around Asia more, wanted to do HK, Tokyo, Macau but the $$$$ and the time wasn’t there. Singapore for a few days was crazy like how clean it was and the efficient public transportation and the safety :eek :lol
 
The prices are what fooled me. When I saw dishes and desserts going for 1/2 or 1/3 the price they do here, I thought "Ok, this is probably a personal sized dish" It always ended up being for 2-4 people, and of course I ate all of it anyway like a savage :lol: :smh: The looks people were giving me at Ice Monster :rofl::sick: I damn near died after killing one of those desserts by myself.

I got got once too, I was like let me get this chili crab bowl easy, a foot diameter bowl of crab and stew and vegetables comes out :lol I ate as much as I could
 
How many of the single Asian men in here are checking for Issa Rae?

googled her and the first thing I see is her saying "filipinos are the blacks of Asians"
which, sadly, is true. Darker skin Asians are looked down upon by lighter skin Asians (mostly E. Asians).
Not sure exactly why but it could be since many SE Asian countries arent as developed they are looked down upon.
Not to mention the world pretty much knows of the human trafficking that goes on in countries like Thailand.

edit* hold up. I thought she said that trying to shine light on the racisms between asians. I didnt think she was saying it as a racist remark :sick:


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Isn't HK and Singapore cheap when it comes to food as well? Or are you talking about other things?


taipei is definitely much cheaper than hk and sg. to me hk is the most expensive.

i really like taipei, i had a great time but food wise i wasnt blown away by taiwanese food, yeah its cheap and good but maybe i had too high expectations

the bubble teas and beef noodles were legit though

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and why are there so much more filipinos on nt and sneaker culture than any other SEA nationality? is it because of basketball and jordan? im curious if there are any thai or indo guys here
 
Taipei's cheap but it's all relative. When you live there you're getting paid in their currency and market value so the cost of living isn't actually as cheap. It seems cheap because we're going there with foreign currency and ballin out. Buying a house in Taipei City is damn near impossible.
 
Taipei's cheap but it's all relative. When you live there you're getting paid in their currency and market value so the cost of living isn't actually as cheap. It seems cheap because we're going there with foreign currency and ballin out. Buying a house in Taipei City is damn near impossible.

oh i thought we're talking about these cities as tourist destinations
 
taipei is definitely much cheaper than hk and sg. to me hk is the most expensive.

i really like taipei, i had a great time but food wise i wasnt blown away by taiwanese food, yeah its cheap and good but maybe i had too high expectations

the bubble teas and beef noodles were legit though

3DF426BF-7704-4F29-94A2-57D4C2C35DD0.jpeg


and why are there so much more filipinos on nt and sneaker culture than any other SEA nationality? is it because of basketball and jordan? im curious if there are any thai or indo guys here
I'm not Thai but my mom was born in Thailand. Most of my Thai friends growing up were more into school and soccer than hoops and sneakers. My Lao/Khmer friends however were down with the funk.

Also it seems like most Thai people love Adidas. Adidas was never on this level in the 90s, 00s so I guess that can account for why you don't see much Thai people in the sneaker culture. I'm sure its a whole different story in LA but that's how it was for me in the PNW.
 
^ lol what does that mean? your probably familiar with that restaurant. forgot the name, but afaik they are popular. that pic was taken at the branch inside that shinko mitsukoshi dept store infront of taipei main station.

I'm not Thai but my mom was born in Thailand. Most of my Thai friends growing up were more into school and soccer than hoops and sneakers. My Lao/Khmer friends however were down with the funk.

Also it seems like most Thai people love Adidas. Adidas was never on this level in the 90s, 00s so I guess that can account for why you don't see much Thai people in the sneaker culture. I'm sure its a whole different story in LA but that's how it was for me in the PNW.

oh so you’re half thai then. cool. half thai half ?
 
Last week, a Utah teenager named Keziah Daum came under scrutiny for wearing a traditional Chinese qipao to her prom and posing with stereotypical hand gestures with her friends in a photo. She was criticized for lacking cultural awareness and choosing the dress based on aesthetics over substance, akin to Batman picking out a costume without knowing the hidden gadgets and functionality behind it.

As a Chinese immigrant who’s lived in four countries, I feel that I can have an opinion on this without holding back. I believe her intentions were pure and she shouldn’t feel obliged to educate herself on the historical significance of a dress. However, as with too many issues in today’s social media society, the outrage is diverting attention away from the underlying problem that needs to be addressed (pun intended).

It wasn’t Daum’s choice to be born and raised in a relatively secluded community with minimal exposure to other cultures. (According to 2015 Census estimates, 2.4 percent of Utah’s population is Asian, just a bit under 71,000 people.) Daum’s mom has understandably come to her daughter’s defense, stating she has tried to provide her daughter with opportunities to experience a variety of cultures in her upbringing.

If we take her word, then the important question isn’t Daum’s intent, it’s why are there so many pockets in America that become breeding grounds for cultural ignorance? Of course, we can choose to deny the relevance of cultural diversity. Why should we have to expose ourselves to “different” people when we’re getting by just fine?

The irony is those who minimize the importance of cultural diversity are the ones at the biggest disadvantage. We live in a globalized economy and compete against anyone from any corner of the world. In fact, a report published by the United Nations in 2000 states, “Economic globalization is an Irreversible Trend.” Technology has provided a medium for every organization to communicate on a global scale.

Failure to comprehend different racial sensitivities doesn’t just make you more ignorant, it has real-world economic impact. Inability to empathize with people who didn’t grow up with a knife and fork and go to church every Sunday diminishes your employability. With every news outlet constantly reminding us unemployment is at an all-time low, it’s obvious employability is one of the most crucial factors in our lives.

We shouldn’t be lambasting a teenager for desiring what comes naturally to her — to look good. Instead, let’s focus on how communities where only one race, one thought, one belief and one culture exist come to fruition and objectively assess if that upbringing is beneficial to the next generation. People may feel like their dominant culture is being threatened, but it’s an undeniable reality they need to face if they want to remain relevant in this world.

The beauty of America isn’t just the breathtaking scenery found in places such as Utah. It’s the diversity in food, thought, culture, race and freedom of expression, even when that freedom is expressed through a Chinese prom dress.
 
Too much over-reacting and assuming with that damn dress. So only Chinese females can wear that dress? Or can other Asian females wear it too? Isn’t it a sign of appreciation for her to say the dress was beautiful and she wanted to wear it for something important like her prom? I’ve seen popular Asian youtubers say how dumb this is. They pointed out the kids weren’t even bowing, the girls were doing the “blessed” pose that a lot of people do and there’s an emoji for and the guys were doing some youtube h3h3 hand sign. I’m mad that Asians are being vaginas about something that wasn’t even bad.
 
Too much over-reacting and assuming with that damn dress. So only Chinese females can wear that dress? Or can other Asian females wear it too? Isn’t it a sign of appreciation for her to say the dress was beautiful and she wanted to wear it for something important like her prom? I’ve seen popular Asian youtubers say how dumb this is. They pointed out the kids weren’t even bowing, the girls were doing the “blessed” pose that a lot of people do and there’s an emoji for and the guys were doing some youtube h3h3 hand sign. I’m mad that Asians are being vaginas about something that wasn’t even bad.

if you read it, it literally says her intent was pure and people should't be blasting her.
 
I read it, still had a negative vibe to it. Basically claiming cultural ignorance. People want their culture and customs to be liked by other people but then are quick with criticism for anything.
 
It's the typical "I have to feel offended by everything" mentality. They even showed that people actually from China either don't care or are happy that someone from a different culture wore the dress. On top of that, people there don't even wear it unless they're in some themed restaurant or old school karaoke place.

There's a big difference between wearing the dress because you think it's beautiful versus wearing it in a racist stereotypical way at a white frat/sorority party, which isn't what happened here. Unfortunately the latter happens too often, so to be fair, that's why Asian American people are on edge here
 
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I read it, still had a negative vibe to it. Basically claiming cultural ignorance. People want their culture and customs to be liked by other people but then are quick with criticism for anything.
Then your missing the point. We want other people to like our culture, but what about the act of wearing that dress for the sole purpose of looking pretty has anything to do with culture? It's quite obvious she wore it without the intent of knowing anything about the culture. If I saw a Yamaka and wore it just cause I thought it looked cool, am I appreciating Jewish culture?

Again, nobody is and should be angry at her. She did absolutely nothing wrong. I appreciate she thought a qipao looked pretty. The whole point was there's places in this country where you know one culture, one belief, one thought, one way of life. You decide if that's beneficial to a kid growing up in a globalized economy. If you grew up in a culturally diverse city and you had any sense of self awareness, you'd think twice before doing that.
 
If that certain style of dress should only be worn for specific occassions then I get it, but her wanting to wear it because it looks nice is a plus to me. I don’t think that’s disrespecting a culture.
 
If that certain style of dress should only be worn for specific occassions then I get it, but her wanting to wear it because it looks nice is a plus to me. I don’t think that’s disrespecting a culture.

Lol how many times does "I don't think she had any bad intentions " need to be stated? The point is if she didn't grow up in a society where one way of life dominates everything, she'd have some self awareness to realize this may come off insensitive (although it's not her intent). The whole point is this isn't about her, she's absolutely innocent. The point is places where there's no awareness or sensitivities to other cultures other than white isn't particularly beneficial to anyone.
 
Well it wasn’t insensitive and maybe she was smart enough to know it wasn’t which is why she wore it. Sad that she even had to explain herself just to keep heat off of her.
 
Is there some religious/spriritual/cultural relevance to the qipao?

From my VERY brief research it seems that it’s just a fashion item that was popular during a certain time period in China.
 
There's a big difference between wearing the dress because you think it's beautiful versus wearing it in a racist stereotypical way at a white frat/sorority party, which isn't what happened here. Unfortunately the latter happens too often, so to be fair, that's why Asian American people are on edge here

This is my stance on it too. I don't personally mind but at the same time, I see people making an issue of it as a good thing.

I like that we have more of a position in this country now that checks people when they play around. Happens with whitewashing roles too. There's noticeable backlash when they do it now.

It's the same way I view political correctness. It's annoying to have to be politically correct, but it pushes up the boundary on what's acceptable in this country. So if people are getting annoyed by this, it moves up the boundary on how people approach Asian culture for everything else. If they think wearing a dress might catch them heat, then they'll be more reluctant to do things that's worse than this. So even though I don't care, I like that people are putting their foot on people's necks and not giving an inch.
 
I'm writing a long overdue letter to mama dukes for Mother's Day
I'm typing it up now (7 pages so far) and it's me walking her through my life
My failures, successes, exes, regrets, relationships, who I am at my core
Her influence on me, her 30-year marriage to my dad, how similar we are
How I never tell her I love her through words, but through my actions instead

Went deep in my feels thinking back on old memories, the kind of mom she was
How my exes are all strikingly similar to her in terms of values / personality

Asian cultures usually frown upon mental health and discussing feelings
So I'm hoping to break that trend
 
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