Mouthing OffWhen a white face is more marketable in a European restaurant in Hong Kong than a Chinese face, that’s racism
- In Hong Kong, like everywhere else, racism is a problem, and in the city’s restaurant industry it’s a big problem
- Why, for example, are Western chefs praised for cooking Asian food, yet Chinese chefs not trusted to cook Western dishes?
The racial strife rattling the United States is depressing and troubling. Whatever your politics, it’s hard to be neutral about a helpless black man suffocating under a jackbooted policeman’s knee.
You can debate the nuances of global politics and government policies, but I would like to think there is consensus that racial injustice is a bad thing. OK, maybe the President of the United States doesn’t agree.
Hong Kong is no stranger to protests and police confrontations. But we like to believe racism is not a problem in the city. One reason for our economic success is our law-abiding, meritocratic philosophy. However, subtle prejudices do exist. Sometimes they show up in our dining choices and restaurant experiences.
I’ve met local Chinese people who don’t like to eat out in Central and Mid-Levels because they think there are too many “gweilos” (a pejorative Chinese term for white people) around. I confront them and say: “Isn’t that a bit racist?”
They turn the argument back at me and explain they feel they don’t get proper service in some restaurants, and that some hosts and waiting staff have an attitude about Chinese customers. The suggestion is these establishments look down on locals because their English is not as good, they think locals are cheap and won’t tip, or they prefer to engage with Western guests.
On the other hand, restaurant owners have said off the record that Chinese customers are overly demanding, tend to complain a lot and boss people around, treating Filipino servers especially like indentured servants.