Chuck Lin

Life in a fish bowl

Subtle and offensive

Sitting at my favorite French bistro in the lower east side contemplating about racism. Although the area is considered LES, the majority of the population is Chinese. Sadly very few Chinese would eat here due to the cultural and culinary differences.
I’ve been eating here regularly for many years and for most of the staff here, I’ve been here longer than the furniture.
Today a young waitress whom I have never met was sitting at the bar eating her breakfast. I sat myself down on my regular bar stool and opened my iPad to enjoy my morning. She looked up and impatiently asked, “Do you want something?”
A strange question to ask a patron. She didn’t bother to bring me a menu. In her eyes, what would I possibly want with a menu?
This young woman who seemed to be in her early twenties would not have escaped the massive diversity education indoctrinated into every child since the eighties. As a minority, I have experienced outright racism and the more subtle variety. I prefer the outright racist. They are on the fringe and relatively few in number. The subtle ones don’t realize their own attitude and would probably regurgitate their anti racism curriculum when asked. They live amongst us like a Manchurian Candidate ready to strike with their character assassination.
I looked up at her and replied, “coffee and food”. I hope that she would catch herself in her own prejudice. Sadly it doesn’t seem to be the case. Just then the manager walked over to greet me, he shook my hand, politely exchanged some familiarities and handed me a menu. “Coffee as usual?”, he asked. Yes, let’s start the day over beginning at this moment.

Here is another attempt at creating the worst dating profile

Part of my okcupid dating profile:

Nasal drip

Apr 13, 2010