IS THIS RACIST???

So we accidentally took Dave and Spencer to their first Taiwanese Steakhouse tonight.  You see I told our local friend, Michael, I wanted to take our fabrics expert, Stan, to get a steak somewhere nice in HangZhou alongside the historic and legendary West Lake.  Turns out it was a steakhouse, but not the kind any American knows about.  Inside this weird place was this warning on the wall to beware of pick-pockets. [SHOWN LEFT: IS THIS RACIST? Notice any racial type-casting here?].  Judging by this PSA it seems that HangZhou has had problems with Norweigian pick-pockets.  We foreigners run all over China taking the RMB right out of their unwitting pockets.  The best part about this sign: notice how the innocent Asian couple are getting jacked simultaneously - her purse and his wallet.  THAT is how we foreigners do it east side.     Please comment!

I can't possibly do this place justice so I'll just point out some of its finer features and leave it at that.  In the corner, a major focal point of the room, was the requisite indoor waterfall, of course defunct - out of service.  Clearly a good place to park one's bike.

The salad bar, of course, rivaled that of any Sizzler I've ever been too, minus the taco bar.  The highlight are the two vats of pudding-like "salad dressing" in the foreground.  Some things are better appreciated from afar.

We wrapped the lovely evening up with a stroll around the famous West Lake - a lake so beautiful that it has literally found its way into various Chinese literary classics over the last 1000 years!   Now it has been modernized, surrounded by gift shops, cotton candy vendors and even Starbucks Coffee!  What an improvement.  How could we pass up this  diamond-in-the-rough-collectible shown behind glass in the window: Nothing say's ancient China like David Beckham rockin' the dirt bike.  M A N  I  L O V E  C H I N A! 

Truth is, I think I laugh more here in a day than I do back home in a month....and not at anything particularly funny - just at life as it is.   Like a kid wearing his father's coat, these 1 billion people try on the industrialized world with a vengance that can only be blamed on having been deprived of it for the last 100 years, having caught up with the rest of us in only 10. 

I've been coming here since age 5.  I have been blessed to learn the language and love the people.  God bless the P.R.C.

-- Shawny D.

P.S.  Don't forget to leave a comment on my "Sexist" blog a couple of posts previous (below).  I'll send you a MOM blanket if you have something interesting to say.

Comments

[Amanda]

I would say yes, it is a bit racist... not just because of the hair color, but actually, the skin color. Both the blonde guy, and the arm of the unseen assailant, are the same color, a more peachy color than the obviously Asian customer sitting at the table.

[wayne]

hi my name is wayne. what dose those pictures here have to do with lovesac. i would like to see pictures of girls laying down and sitting on lovesac's love wayne your number 1 lovesac fan

[wayne]

what dose those picture here have to do with lovesac. i would like to see some pictures of girls lying down and sitting on lovesac's. love wayne your lovesac number 1 fan.

[matt]

I don know about china, but i do know that in japan that it is common for gang members to dye their hair blond to look cool... Its almost like the reverse emo. Instead of super emotive they are tough and want your money.

[J]

The pick pocket looks Asian from what I can see. He just looks like he dyed his hair and lives a more rebellious life than the casual business man. I think that the people making signs like that get to have fun with type casting. I mean, you have a blank slate to work with and you draw up the situation as you picture it in your head, maybe based on what you've seen on TV or in the Movies. I actually never notice this stuff. Kinda like this shirt that drew a little controversy...

http://www.angryasianman.com/2009/02/racist-chinaman-caricature-on-true.html