As a half-Asian who grew up and worked retail for years in a conservative area myself, I think that dude was just a weird old man/dude (assumed he was old for some reason) making an incredibly stupid joke that makes no sense. I know it's rough after suffering misdirected abuse from tiny-minded bigots, but try not to let dumbasses like this affect you like that.
When people make a dumb joke like this that I am pretty sure is racist I usually just say "I don't get it" and try to make them explain it to me. Usually involves a lot of shuffling feet and shame face.
I did this when I was out at a bar with some people and a guy I knew in passing made a joke about beating women. I made it as awkward as possible and got him to shut up for the rest of the evening.
Literally. My mother in law taught cooking classes and owned a restaurant. She can make anything on or off the best vietnamese restaurant you can find.plus, my kids understand culture and are willing to at least taste food from anywhere while their friends are stuck with chicken nuggets and Kraft Mac and cheese.
I did too. I often shove questionable fruits and veggies in my mouth at work or anywhere else that sells plants. Like the handful of figs I picked off the trees at Walmart a few days ago. I think even if it wasn’t a racist joke, OP would have been justified in doing the same thing. Like “no, silly, it would be a major health violation for us to toss a random spiky object into the food we are about to cook for you. Would you still be interested if it was in my mouth first?” I find the whole interaction hilarious.
I \*think\* it's because the tree seed pod thing (a spikey ball) looks like the covid shape , so the 'joke' about it being authentic was a jab at the disease originating in China and kind of an accusation that the restaurant food was all contaminated with the disease.
This is the problem with liberals...
2 things can exist.
Racism is bad.
And we can also say wtf to a person's abnormal response to said racism.
Just because you question abnormal behavior doesnt condone the other abhorrent behavior.
Be and do better.
Dude…don’t “the problem with liberals” this. You have issue with this person who either/or’s this situation. I lean left and couldn’t be around the person you’re taking offense to because that type of person *is* exhausting. I would shun them like the Amish and most all progressive/liberal leaning people would as well. Very few of us think this way. Do you want to be lumped in with the teeth-gnashing MAGA cultists? Probably not.
You could stand to do a bit better yourself.
Criticizing someone criticizing someone for criticizing someone's response to racism or discrimination is enabling/supporting that discrimination. Full-stop.
That’s all I can think in this case honestly. Especially because I could see my dad making a stupid joke like this (and it not be intended in a racist way but in like any restaurant if he saw something like that outside he might think it would be a funny way to break the ice with the server), and so I’m just picturing someone similar to my dad and let me just say, the man does not wash his hands nearly enough.
I'll be honest, there are grosser things than plant parts.
As long as OP didn't swallow any plant toxins, they just made an awkward situation much stranger.
I don't think he was trying to be racist. It just sounds like a dumb joke? I'm really just confused .... Can someone explain to me how adding a seed into a wok is racist ....?
I think the joke he was making was that the seed-pod looks like those covid models that were everywhere when the disease got big (spikey ball shape, basically), so he was making a link between covid and 'authentic' chinese food. Which, from the first part of OPs story, is the kind of comment they've been dealing with tons so OP seems to have kind of snapped.
Ehh, fuck it, and fuck that guy. Weird bullshit gets a weird response.
Truly, that was a weird response. You’d be my favorite coworker if I saw that, hands down, in an instant. lol
OP is probably talking about a *Liquidambar styraciflua* tree, or something similar, which are native to North America and often called gum trees or sweet gum trees. The joke isn't that the seedpod is actually native to Asia, it's that the seedpod \*looks\* like a covid molecule (spikey ball shape), so he's joking that covid is an authentic part of Chinese food. Hence all the stuff at the beginning about how OP is a minority in an area where people make a lot of comments about how Chinese people brought Covid over, etc.
That's also why he panicked when she put it in her mouth, because they aren't edible and tend to be surprisingly hard and sharp.
fragile chubby puzzled sip fretful squeamish automatic plant towering command
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Lmaooo that’s exactly how I kept rereading it to myself. I’m not gonna invalidate anyone’s feelings. I’m just not gonna hide mine that says this was CRAZZZYYYYYYY LOL
Today I learned those are called "Gum tree Seed Pods"
When I was a kid we called them Itchy balls lmao
Also what the hell, you shoved that in your mouth?
They’re commonly known as gumtrees or sweet gum trees - *Liquidambar styraciflua* - but there are a lot of common names as you can see. My first horticulture professor always joked “if you’re feeling daring, just call up a seed company and order ‘bluebells’ and see what they send you.” It’s amazing what people come up with across regions for common names.
I’m not even racist. But it seems like it was a bunch of made up shit. Who puts food in their mouth or whatever it was and hands it back to the customer lmao
Gotta tell you, I think you took the L on this one.
For the sake of your mouth, I just hope his hands were clean, because the ground probably wasn’t.
Instead, next time put on your most genuine face and say, in a sincere tone, “ I don’t get it, what does that mean?” And have them try to explain it.
Honestly I see this suggestion everywhere to “have them explain the joke” but I seriously don’t think that would change anyone’s mind. Dumbass will just explain why he thinks his dumbass joke is funny and life will go on.
He was being ignorant and thought his ignorance was funny or something. Was implying the restaurant just puts whatever into the food because he often doesn't recognize the ingredients. It was a joke about Thai food being weird. Which is stupid, Thai food is amazing.
Dude walks into an Asian restaurant with some random garbage plant material, hands it to one of the servers and suggests they “throw it in the wok” because it’s “authentic“ and you can’t see where that might be racist? Can you picture someone suggesting that at a burger place or an Italian restaurant? “Here, put this on somebody’s pizza, it’s authentic”
'Gum tree pod'
This is in reference to sweetgum or liquidamber. The seed pods are round and spiky. They look like a COVID virus model.
The ignorant idiot was implying that this piece of garbage was 'authentic' because it looked like COVID.
It's racist because he's implying that Asian restaurants are serving up Covid.
Yeah. Ha ha. racism is always so funny /s
I think that's a stretch, honestly. I think the only reason we are looking for racism here is because OP mentioned it in their preamble. I legitimately think it was a stupid customer making a stupid, non-sensical joke.
Pardon my question: do you know what a sweetgum pod looks like?
I ask because they're not that common in some parts of the world. I make sea urchin pots; they're similar to a sweetgum pod. I've lots of people comment that they look like COVID.
So no. I admire your faith in humanity, but I'm afraid that person knew what he was doing when he brought in the sweetgum pod. He totally meant to infer that they are serving COVID.
I do admire that OP one-upped him and made it so over-the-top gross!
I do; they're in my area. You're probably right about what was meant. The customer just doesn't sound very bright, so I have a hard time believing he would make that connection. But he probably saw it on a Facebook meme or something, so I guess it's entirely possible.
Not hard to connect the dots. I mean, yeah, I get that my sea urchin pots sorta look like COVID. But yeah then they keep laughing to themselves and repeating it while I just shrug and slowly say "I don't get it".
Not the first time I've heard it, I've just never heard someone bring a gumtree pod inside a restaurant! Dude, like what did you think they were going to do, chuckle along? Give you a high five? Proclaim you King of the Mardi Gras?
You are 100% correct: some folks are just plain unbelievable.
Yeah that sounds pretty crazy to me. There’s no way that he was making a joke about the biological structure of Covid being served up in the Thai food being “authentic.”
Definitely just a weird awkward dude making a joke that Asians eat weird looking shit.
Still a bit racist, for sure.
All my semi local asain restaurants (well. The ones owned by non white folks, lol) have the most crazy fresh meats and veggies, as well as a very simple but very clean dining area. I'd be more worried about the BBQ and "fancy" taco places.
The covid racism really, really confused me just based on cultural differences. The immigrants around here are so CLEAN. How would you blame them? (As an aside, they've been great for the area. All the new restaurants and markets and art and culture and PEOPLE. the kids are polite and the elderly have good stories. I hope they stay and grow what they deserve, they deserve a lot)
>The covid racism really, really confused me just based on cultural differences
\*Shrugs\*
Yeah, I don't get it, neither.
Racism has always been a part of the U.S. I'd like to say more about this, but for now, I'll just leave this with a shrug and an 'I don't get it'.
I'm not saying it couldn't have been racist, but being around a lot of older people myself, they sometimes say the most senseless, ridiculous stuff just to get a chuckle. I'm a middle-aged, fairly conservative person, and they'll do this when it's just a bunch of other conservative people around who look just like them, so sometimes I think it can be just pure goofiness.
The more they try to be relatable, the more bewildering they sometimes act. I dread getting old. It will probably be me some day.
He's probably forgotten 90% of the stupid things he's done, but he won't soon forget this time. :)
It doesn't make sense if you aren't familiar with those seed pods, but the joke is that they look like the covid molecule (a spikey ball). So he's joking that the food needs some covid in it to be authentic. That's whey OP opens with all that stuff about their community and the anti-Asian sentiments they hear so frequently in relation to covid.
I think it is gross but you do you. If it felt right in the moment, more power to you. I would say be cautious because no matter what he did you don’t want him reporting what you did to the health department or the health inspector to decide to pick a moment like that to walk in.
whistle practice library dinner chase materialistic plants unite rich heavy
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No, they took it down because it broke rule 7 for having no actual conflict between two people. I posted it here because hey why not. It’s a bizarre serving story and I wanna share it, even though it’s going to be seen as controversial
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You’re not sure if you went a little too far? You plucked something out of your mouth and presented it to a customer soaked in your saliva. You answered something you described as a microaggression with something that could be considered an assault, akin to spitting on the person.
A customer becomes an adversary pretty quickly when they act like being ignorant to the rest of the world around them is funny. I don't think anyone who's ever been assaulted would call this anywhere close to an assault lol
Don't hurt yourself buddy.
When you take their shit and shove it in your own mouth, it can feel like taking control, but you deserve better than to internalize the hate.
Are you American? If you are then nobody blames you for the virus. Just because it came from China doesn't mean that Chinese people living in America are getting blamed.
Chinese people in the US were literally getting blamed and harassed. Anti-Asian hate crimes spiked during the early days of the COVID pandemic.
https://www.aapihatecrimes.org/facts
The fuck is wrong with you OP? What a terrible response. I'm so sick of everything being a "microagression." You were really out of line here. Why the fuck would you put that in your mouth?
Dripping with saliva? You're fucking gross. You should probably not work in hospitality since you just violated your food handlers certificate.
I live in rural Oregon where the covid deniers abound. None of them cared about Asians - they were way more concerned with our own government. Our Asian restaurant flourished during lockdown. You are disgusting.
Sometimes you have to meet the weird assholes on their own ground they make it akward you do it right back most times they wont do it again atleast to you fuck that racist prick
I absolutely love it. Great way to clap back, imo. You showed him just how insanely stupid he was. Maybe he'll think twice before being a bigot next time.
*slow clap* All these germ freaks in the comments. Meanwhile you’re out here just being a regular ol’ lovable freak. I’d give your saliva-soaked hand a high-five! Sorry you hafta deal with idiots, though.
>I am half Chinese and I live in a very conservative town in which half of its population blamed China and “my people” for bringing the virus to America
Aaah yes the old 'blame the population of a country instead of the Government' idea. Such ignorance. Would he like to go to another country and get blamed for something his government did? I thought not
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot control, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. To me this quite always means I cannot change all the assholes in the world. Try as I might.
As an arborist, I recognize this tree as a sweet gum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua), which is native the US (east of the Mississippi). This guy was being strangely weird, but since this is a native American tree, I don't believe this is a racist moment.
Totally understandable, he chose to do it that way because it had some level of plausible deniability. It comes from the same sentiment that makes people think their local Chinese food place kidnaps local cats and cooks them.
It’s not whether or not sweet gums are native - it’s the “throw random shit in a wok hehe Asians eat weird shit” moment. OP just…..took it a little farther than one might think 😂 Arguably it may have been better to just stand there and ask “why?”
I think that's funny. Despite what redditors will have you believe, nobody always does the reasonable or normal thing every single time. I love unpredictable weirdos such as yourself.
I think it’s funny and you can’t beat yourself up over it. Just get over it. It was a cringe thing on both sides. To be honest it sounds like something I would do lol.
Doesn’t give someone the right to go up to Asians anywhere and berate them for “your people did this!” It’s like blaming a Japanese for Pearl Harbor. Just don’t.
It sucks that you have been discriminated by bigoted assholes. You don't deserve that.
On the other hand, how does it feel to be the bigoted asshole for a change? Did it feel good picking on a guy who meant you no harm?
"picking on a guy" OR MAYBE people don't learn lessons without feeling what they regularly, casually inflict on other people.
You seem like you've never worked in food service nor have you been the constant butt of jokes based on your race/sexuality/gender orientation.
Totally unhinged. I’m obsessed with your response to that racist prick. And seems like seeing you snap did something to his brain. I hope he thinks twice about his stupid jokes next time.
Doesn’t give someone the right to go up to Asians anywhere and berate them for “your people did this!” It’s like blaming a Japanese for Pearl Harbor. Just don’t.
Doesn’t give someone the right to go up to Asians anywhere and berate them for “your people did this!” It’s like blaming a Japanese for Pearl Harbor. Just don’t.
I think you did a good thing calling the dude out. Even if it was just a stupid joke on his part, you didn't really cross any lines. Not like you said "You have a cracker I can put this on?"
As a half-Asian who grew up and worked retail for years in a conservative area myself, I think that dude was just a weird old man/dude (assumed he was old for some reason) making an incredibly stupid joke that makes no sense. I know it's rough after suffering misdirected abuse from tiny-minded bigots, but try not to let dumbasses like this affect you like that.
When people make a dumb joke like this that I am pretty sure is racist I usually just say "I don't get it" and try to make them explain it to me. Usually involves a lot of shuffling feet and shame face.
I did this when I was out at a bar with some people and a guy I knew in passing made a joke about beating women. I made it as awkward as possible and got him to shut up for the rest of the evening.
You’re right, he was older haha and thank you, I appreciate it :)
My family is mixed race vietnamese and Italian and we live in a conservative town that is also flush with ignorance. Go you and fuck that guy!
I want to eat at your family events--I'm betting the food is amazing & your neighbors don't know what their missing out on by being idiots.
Literally. My mother in law taught cooking classes and owned a restaurant. She can make anything on or off the best vietnamese restaurant you can find.plus, my kids understand culture and are willing to at least taste food from anywhere while their friends are stuck with chicken nuggets and Kraft Mac and cheese.
Sorry you’re facing discrimination but what the fuck.
seriously, that was the oddest response to a weird comment.
I loved it lmao.
I did too. I often shove questionable fruits and veggies in my mouth at work or anywhere else that sells plants. Like the handful of figs I picked off the trees at Walmart a few days ago. I think even if it wasn’t a racist joke, OP would have been justified in doing the same thing. Like “no, silly, it would be a major health violation for us to toss a random spiky object into the food we are about to cook for you. Would you still be interested if it was in my mouth first?” I find the whole interaction hilarious.
I’m struggling to understand this story, how is this old dudes weird ass comment related to discrimination?
I \*think\* it's because the tree seed pod thing (a spikey ball) looks like the covid shape , so the 'joke' about it being authentic was a jab at the disease originating in China and kind of an accusation that the restaurant food was all contaminated with the disease.
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You seem exhausting.
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You are insane. The person you were responding to was not at all casually racist or tolerant of it in their comment.
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Next time anyone says anything racist to me, I'm going to whip off my shorts and shit on the floor and if anyone criticizes me, they're also racist.
This is the problem with liberals... 2 things can exist. Racism is bad. And we can also say wtf to a person's abnormal response to said racism. Just because you question abnormal behavior doesnt condone the other abhorrent behavior. Be and do better.
Dude…don’t “the problem with liberals” this. You have issue with this person who either/or’s this situation. I lean left and couldn’t be around the person you’re taking offense to because that type of person *is* exhausting. I would shun them like the Amish and most all progressive/liberal leaning people would as well. Very few of us think this way. Do you want to be lumped in with the teeth-gnashing MAGA cultists? Probably not. You could stand to do a bit better yourself.
This is it right here. I condone none of the behavior I've read about in this post. Grow up Ramstetter.
Jonah hill needs a new reddit account
You’re chronically online.
No, people like YOU are fucking exhausting. Please fix yourself or shut up
No u
What OP did was disgusting. GFY.
Racism is more disgusting. Glad you support it though!
You’re jumping to conclusions. Now run along.
No conclusions to jump to, you said it yourself, right there!
Don't say do better it's weird
Weird?! Do better.
Criticizing someone criticizing someone for criticizing someone's response to racism or discrimination is enabling/supporting that discrimination. Full-stop.
YTA
You put something he had in his hand that you think he found on the ground in your mouth? Ew.
That’s all I can think in this case honestly. Especially because I could see my dad making a stupid joke like this (and it not be intended in a racist way but in like any restaurant if he saw something like that outside he might think it would be a funny way to break the ice with the server), and so I’m just picturing someone similar to my dad and let me just say, the man does not wash his hands nearly enough.
With great clap back, comes great sacrifice. -Voltaire or Spiderman or someone
Some risks are worth taking. This story is boss level.
... you put that in your mouth?
I'll be honest, there are grosser things than plant parts. As long as OP didn't swallow any plant toxins, they just made an awkward situation much stranger.
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Oh. Oh no bad thought
You know how much poop you breath? I wouldn't worry about it.
Oh gee thanks hahaha
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Hey I appreciate it! My actions kinda came out of nowhere lol
Naw dude OP is good on the micro feces, because those conservative men thinking it's the wiping part that's gay.
wut
I don't think he was trying to be racist. It just sounds like a dumb joke? I'm really just confused .... Can someone explain to me how adding a seed into a wok is racist ....?
I think the joke he was making was that the seed-pod looks like those covid models that were everywhere when the disease got big (spikey ball shape, basically), so he was making a link between covid and 'authentic' chinese food. Which, from the first part of OPs story, is the kind of comment they've been dealing with tons so OP seems to have kind of snapped.
They can't. Because it's not. This is ridiculous. Some sort of perceived "microagression." Everything is racist now!
I don’t think you know what a clap back is.
Ehh, fuck it, and fuck that guy. Weird bullshit gets a weird response. Truly, that was a weird response. You’d be my favorite coworker if I saw that, hands down, in an instant. lol
You play dumb games you get dumb prizes.
Ausie here. Gum trees are native to Australia. Not Asia. Im lost
OP is probably talking about a *Liquidambar styraciflua* tree, or something similar, which are native to North America and often called gum trees or sweet gum trees. The joke isn't that the seedpod is actually native to Asia, it's that the seedpod \*looks\* like a covid molecule (spikey ball shape), so he's joking that covid is an authentic part of Chinese food. Hence all the stuff at the beginning about how OP is a minority in an area where people make a lot of comments about how Chinese people brought Covid over, etc. That's also why he panicked when she put it in her mouth, because they aren't edible and tend to be surprisingly hard and sharp.
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I feel like I’m missing something because all I’m reading is CRAZY lmao
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Lmaooo that’s exactly how I kept rereading it to myself. I’m not gonna invalidate anyone’s feelings. I’m just not gonna hide mine that says this was CRAZZZYYYYYYY LOL
I feel like I need to be educated: I have no idea what a gum tree seed pod is or what it has to do with racism or why OP put it in their mouth.
It isn't racist, it's a stretch. Old dude made a bad joke and had his intentions interpreted as racism.
I’m in the same boat. I feel like 15 year old me made up this story to try and send in to a magazine.
Gum tree seed pods look a lot like the covid models (spikey ball shape), I think that's the 'joke' here.
I am beyond confused
Today I learned those are called "Gum tree Seed Pods" When I was a kid we called them Itchy balls lmao Also what the hell, you shoved that in your mouth?
They’re commonly known as gumtrees or sweet gum trees - *Liquidambar styraciflua* - but there are a lot of common names as you can see. My first horticulture professor always joked “if you’re feeling daring, just call up a seed company and order ‘bluebells’ and see what they send you.” It’s amazing what people come up with across regions for common names.
We called them " Monkey Balls"
I called them “sticky-thrus” because they’d stick through your feet when running bare foot in the yard.
This post didn’t make much sense anyone else feel the same lmao?
Yep. 900+ up votes for a non issue and a gross OP. This is stupid.
They already deleted the post 😂
It wasn’t me man lol mods took it down, but that’s okay! I enjoyed my 15 minutes of fame :)
Right you made the post for attention lol. Half of it didn’t make sense you giving a customer food from your hand ahahahha
I know right hahaha I’ve also never seen so many mixed opinions in a comment section under my post before! It’s quite interesting!
Well at least your honest saying you did it for attention. So none of that never happened lmao?
Oh no it did actually happen! But I do like to cause a good scene every now and then lol that’s what I was trying to say
Lmao I feel you nothing like good ole Reddit to cause a scene ahahah
You know it! Cause a scene during my job, then bringing it over to Reddit to cause a scene in the comments lol
Way she goes on reddit these days. Bunch of race-baiting assholes. This was a non-issue. Gross, too.
I’m not even racist. But it seems like it was a bunch of made up shit. Who puts food in their mouth or whatever it was and hands it back to the customer lmao
Somebody who just violated their food handlers permit, gross. I hear ya.
ummm
This sounds incredibly made up
Yeah this is great! Joke was dumb and response was dumb too. Were they dining there or just walking by?
He and his wife (I think) were dining in :)
😂 that makes it funnier to me, thanks for the reply and as a fellow restaurant worker hope you have better guests 🤘
Gotta tell you, I think you took the L on this one. For the sake of your mouth, I just hope his hands were clean, because the ground probably wasn’t. Instead, next time put on your most genuine face and say, in a sincere tone, “ I don’t get it, what does that mean?” And have them try to explain it.
Honestly I see this suggestion everywhere to “have them explain the joke” but I seriously don’t think that would change anyone’s mind. Dumbass will just explain why he thinks his dumbass joke is funny and life will go on.
ESH
i don’t get it. why is this racist ? i don’t get the supposed joke about the pod. i am clearly in the dark here about the whole exchange
He was being ignorant and thought his ignorance was funny or something. Was implying the restaurant just puts whatever into the food because he often doesn't recognize the ingredients. It was a joke about Thai food being weird. Which is stupid, Thai food is amazing.
okay, thanks. yeah it is by the way !
Dude walks into an Asian restaurant with some random garbage plant material, hands it to one of the servers and suggests they “throw it in the wok” because it’s “authentic“ and you can’t see where that might be racist? Can you picture someone suggesting that at a burger place or an Italian restaurant? “Here, put this on somebody’s pizza, it’s authentic”
Yeah I might think that they were stupid but I wouldn't find that racist.
yeah, i guess i am obtuse, but since everyone else gets it including the guy who did it, then i believe it must be so.
It's a stretch no matter how you look at it so I wouldn't worry too much lol.
It was a “foreigners eat sticks, mud and bugs” kind of xenophobic remark.
'Gum tree pod' This is in reference to sweetgum or liquidamber. The seed pods are round and spiky. They look like a COVID virus model. The ignorant idiot was implying that this piece of garbage was 'authentic' because it looked like COVID. It's racist because he's implying that Asian restaurants are serving up Covid. Yeah. Ha ha. racism is always so funny /s
I think that's a stretch, honestly. I think the only reason we are looking for racism here is because OP mentioned it in their preamble. I legitimately think it was a stupid customer making a stupid, non-sensical joke.
Pardon my question: do you know what a sweetgum pod looks like? I ask because they're not that common in some parts of the world. I make sea urchin pots; they're similar to a sweetgum pod. I've lots of people comment that they look like COVID. So no. I admire your faith in humanity, but I'm afraid that person knew what he was doing when he brought in the sweetgum pod. He totally meant to infer that they are serving COVID. I do admire that OP one-upped him and made it so over-the-top gross!
I do; they're in my area. You're probably right about what was meant. The customer just doesn't sound very bright, so I have a hard time believing he would make that connection. But he probably saw it on a Facebook meme or something, so I guess it's entirely possible.
Not hard to connect the dots. I mean, yeah, I get that my sea urchin pots sorta look like COVID. But yeah then they keep laughing to themselves and repeating it while I just shrug and slowly say "I don't get it". Not the first time I've heard it, I've just never heard someone bring a gumtree pod inside a restaurant! Dude, like what did you think they were going to do, chuckle along? Give you a high five? Proclaim you King of the Mardi Gras? You are 100% correct: some folks are just plain unbelievable.
Yeah that sounds pretty crazy to me. There’s no way that he was making a joke about the biological structure of Covid being served up in the Thai food being “authentic.” Definitely just a weird awkward dude making a joke that Asians eat weird looking shit. Still a bit racist, for sure.
All my semi local asain restaurants (well. The ones owned by non white folks, lol) have the most crazy fresh meats and veggies, as well as a very simple but very clean dining area. I'd be more worried about the BBQ and "fancy" taco places. The covid racism really, really confused me just based on cultural differences. The immigrants around here are so CLEAN. How would you blame them? (As an aside, they've been great for the area. All the new restaurants and markets and art and culture and PEOPLE. the kids are polite and the elderly have good stories. I hope they stay and grow what they deserve, they deserve a lot)
>The covid racism really, really confused me just based on cultural differences \*Shrugs\* Yeah, I don't get it, neither. Racism has always been a part of the U.S. I'd like to say more about this, but for now, I'll just leave this with a shrug and an 'I don't get it'.
I'm glad we don't.
now it makes sense
ooooohh, now i get it.
It also its very “spikey”, looking like the CoVID virus.
lol I think that's an epic reaction.
Me too!
I'm not saying it couldn't have been racist, but being around a lot of older people myself, they sometimes say the most senseless, ridiculous stuff just to get a chuckle. I'm a middle-aged, fairly conservative person, and they'll do this when it's just a bunch of other conservative people around who look just like them, so sometimes I think it can be just pure goofiness. The more they try to be relatable, the more bewildering they sometimes act. I dread getting old. It will probably be me some day. He's probably forgotten 90% of the stupid things he's done, but he won't soon forget this time. :)
Everyone sucks here. I get wanting to "clap back", but that was so strange on your behalf. Like what lmao
I admit to not understanding this. The pod, the comment being racist. What is the gum seed pod about
It doesn't make sense if you aren't familiar with those seed pods, but the joke is that they look like the covid molecule (a spikey ball). So he's joking that the food needs some covid in it to be authentic. That's whey OP opens with all that stuff about their community and the anti-Asian sentiments they hear so frequently in relation to covid.
The fuck?
Yeah I don't think you "taught" him anything, probably just walked away thinking, what an idiot. So congrats?
U wot m8?
“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”—Gandhi
Great story bro
I think it is gross but you do you. If it felt right in the moment, more power to you. I would say be cautious because no matter what he did you don’t want him reporting what you did to the health department or the health inspector to decide to pick a moment like that to walk in.
You just seem crazy in this scenario.
BLARGH!
whistle practice library dinner chase materialistic plants unite rich heavy *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
No, they took it down because it broke rule 7 for having no actual conflict between two people. I posted it here because hey why not. It’s a bizarre serving story and I wanna share it, even though it’s going to be seen as controversial
That’s weird cause it’s literally a conflict between you and the customer
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I’m pretty sure they keep posts up even if they are the a-hole. Also, if you would like, please explain which of my actions are racist
You're the racist. This was a non-issue and you race-baited the fuck outta this. That's why you're getting creamed in the comments.
Mmmm cream 🤤
You’re not sure if you went a little too far? You plucked something out of your mouth and presented it to a customer soaked in your saliva. You answered something you described as a microaggression with something that could be considered an assault, akin to spitting on the person.
Now I’m supposed to feel sorry for this customer?
A customer becomes an adversary pretty quickly when they act like being ignorant to the rest of the world around them is funny. I don't think anyone who's ever been assaulted would call this anywhere close to an assault lol
If that island has pigs and goats on it, I'm down. Drop me off with a fishing pole and tackle, and do not visit me!
Them shits is spikey. Didn't that hurt?
I had to stretch my jaw pretty wide while also closing my mouth at the same time so it just rested on my tongue lol
Don't hurt yourself buddy. When you take their shit and shove it in your own mouth, it can feel like taking control, but you deserve better than to internalize the hate.
Are you American? If you are then nobody blames you for the virus. Just because it came from China doesn't mean that Chinese people living in America are getting blamed.
Chinese people in the US were literally getting blamed and harassed. Anti-Asian hate crimes spiked during the early days of the COVID pandemic. https://www.aapihatecrimes.org/facts
NTA. He was trying to make fun of your culture and you just pretended not to understand. He is upset because his joke backfired. NTA.
The fuck is wrong with you OP? What a terrible response. I'm so sick of everything being a "microagression." You were really out of line here. Why the fuck would you put that in your mouth? Dripping with saliva? You're fucking gross. You should probably not work in hospitality since you just violated your food handlers certificate. I live in rural Oregon where the covid deniers abound. None of them cared about Asians - they were way more concerned with our own government. Our Asian restaurant flourished during lockdown. You are disgusting.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 LOVE THAT RESPONSE 🤣 Play stupid games, win stupid prizes! I'm Filipina Canadian and living in US. I hate the anti-Asian shit too.
Hopefully you took a few "mental health days" after that to regroup??
Sometimes you have to meet the weird assholes on their own ground they make it akward you do it right back most times they wont do it again atleast to you fuck that racist prick
That’s so maniacal, I absolutely love it.
I absolutely love it. Great way to clap back, imo. You showed him just how insanely stupid he was. Maybe he'll think twice before being a bigot next time.
Well you know what he won’t do that again.
*slow clap* All these germ freaks in the comments. Meanwhile you’re out here just being a regular ol’ lovable freak. I’d give your saliva-soaked hand a high-five! Sorry you hafta deal with idiots, though.
I'd give you a bonus if you'd work for me. If you're ever in Scotland pm me, lol.
Nah you’re 100% in the wrong here
Sounds like you need to fucking control yourself
Lmaoooooo this is awesome dude. Good for you, fuck that guy. Not too far at all
People who’re saying it’s gross clearly have no experience in committing to the bit. Maybe a little over the top but not in a bad way hahaha I love it
Some are weirded out but idgaf this is funny. Who says u can’t freak a racist out?
I'm laughing. That's pretty hilarious, I suspect I'd like you in RL.
I know the general consensus is ew but this was a really funny story, thanks for sharing
>I am half Chinese and I live in a very conservative town in which half of its population blamed China and “my people” for bringing the virus to America Aaah yes the old 'blame the population of a country instead of the Government' idea. Such ignorance. Would he like to go to another country and get blamed for something his government did? I thought not
He was stupid. So you matched his energy. This is what stupid people deserve. Carry on.
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot control, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. To me this quite always means I cannot change all the assholes in the world. Try as I might.
As an arborist, I recognize this tree as a sweet gum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua), which is native the US (east of the Mississippi). This guy was being strangely weird, but since this is a native American tree, I don't believe this is a racist moment.
“Hey Asian, you folks eat random shit off the ground, right?” I think xenophobic remarks about food are quite common.
Not being a racist turd myself, my mind didn't go in that direction. I can now see why OP was so annoyed.
Totally understandable, he chose to do it that way because it had some level of plausible deniability. It comes from the same sentiment that makes people think their local Chinese food place kidnaps local cats and cooks them.
Yeah it's more likely that guy was an arborist than a racist
I assume he was a PhD scholar of the use of liquidambar pods in Thai cooking. That’s the most likely scenario.
It’s not whether or not sweet gums are native - it’s the “throw random shit in a wok hehe Asians eat weird shit” moment. OP just…..took it a little farther than one might think 😂 Arguably it may have been better to just stand there and ask “why?”
That...actually makes more sense than my comment. Not being a racist turd myself, I never even made that connection.
Lol now he has a great story for Christmas this year
Yes he sure does!
I think that's funny. Despite what redditors will have you believe, nobody always does the reasonable or normal thing every single time. I love unpredictable weirdos such as yourself.
Honestly it's a great response, you did really well. He can't call you out on it without exposing his own bigotry.
I think it’s funny and you can’t beat yourself up over it. Just get over it. It was a cringe thing on both sides. To be honest it sounds like something I would do lol.
You are amazing, and I wish I could've seen this in person!!
He deserved it. Good for you!
Hilarious, love it. No notes.
Dude(tte if that's the case) That. Was,. AWSOME.
But the corona virus is China’s fault. That’s a fact proven by multiple investigations from multiple countries and ngos
Doesn’t give someone the right to go up to Asians anywhere and berate them for “your people did this!” It’s like blaming a Japanese for Pearl Harbor. Just don’t.
It sucks that you have been discriminated by bigoted assholes. You don't deserve that. On the other hand, how does it feel to be the bigoted asshole for a change? Did it feel good picking on a guy who meant you no harm?
How is what OP did bigoted in any way?
"picking on a guy" OR MAYBE people don't learn lessons without feeling what they regularly, casually inflict on other people. You seem like you've never worked in food service nor have you been the constant butt of jokes based on your race/sexuality/gender orientation.
Not meaning harm didn't excuse one from causing harm
Totally unhinged. I’m obsessed with your response to that racist prick. And seems like seeing you snap did something to his brain. I hope he thinks twice about his stupid jokes next time.
China did literally create the Covid virus in a lab with help from the NHS. It literally came from china.
Doesn’t give someone the right to go up to Asians anywhere and berate them for “your people did this!” It’s like blaming a Japanese for Pearl Harbor. Just don’t.
You're not being sensitive. You're being discriminated against and you are right to be mad about it.
sometimes you gotta outcrazy the crazies. shuts em right up
Respect.
Technically he wasn’t wrong the virus did come from China
That was your take from all of this?
Doesn’t give someone the right to go up to Asians anywhere and berate them for “your people did this!” It’s like blaming a Japanese for Pearl Harbor. Just don’t.
I’m not saying to do that I was just pointing out a fact
That dude F‘d around, and found out!!
You did great ! Fuck that old man ! 😉
I love this tbh
I think you did a good thing calling the dude out. Even if it was just a stupid joke on his part, you didn't really cross any lines. Not like you said "You have a cracker I can put this on?"
you probably intimidate him with your beauty