Was I really rude to this man? Cultural...

[cherryboos]

I went into a shop labelled 'oriental food store'. That's all it says. Then some Chinese or Japanese writing on the outside.

I absolutely love Japanese food and I asked 'Excuse me, do you have any Moshi at all?

He said 'That's Japanese...'

Thinking I'd made some terrible insult mistaking Japanese for Chinese or vice versa, I said I was so sorry!

He said '.... but yes we do sell that here'

Was I quite rude? I feel awful now. But it is very hard to tell sometimes if something is Japanese, Chinese or even South Korean.

Are there any majors easy to tell differences between Japanese and Chinese writing/symbols?

I also bought some salted seaweed, Bin Bin crackers and White rabbit sweets. I know the white rabbit sweets are Chinese but does anyone know if Bin Bin crackers are too? Can't seem to find out from Google.

They're linked here www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/273028193

Absolutely gorgeous! You will eat the entire bag

Japanese writing uses Chinese characters, mixed in with their own simpler phonetic symbols (hiragana and katakana). I wouldn't expect someone to be able to tell the difference if they didn't know either language, tbh.

In my experience, most "oriental food" shops I have visited tend to be run by Chinese people but they generally sell a wide range of products from East and South East Asia.

Incidentally, I wonder if you meant mochi rather than moshi? No idea what moshi are!

Korean writing looks totally different btw.
Google it and you will be able to see.

Most Asian food stores are Chinese.

Mistaking the food I would say is not a problem. Mixing up actual Chinese and Japanese people would be for many.

There is a long and terrible history between China and Japan. My Father refused to buy anything Japanese till the day he died. He had relatives that died in the war between China and Japan in the 1930’s. He was about 9 years old when the atrocities were carried out in Nanking. His family had fled mainland China and were living in Hong Kong by then. His younger sister was killed in that war and he cried for her as he lay dying. The photos of my grandparents taken not long after that time show haunted eyes and great sadness and pain.

I assume your probably English? if so you will know how badly prisoners of war were treated by the Japanese. You may be less aware of what they did to Chinese people.

If you are interested in that period of time and have Netflix there is a film called City of Life and Death that documents the fall of Nanking and the subsequent rape and sexual slavery of thousands of women that was ordered by the Japanese military. So called comfort women, they also enslaved women from Korea and other countries. A few of these women are still alive and have had to fight for an apology and compensation

I will warn you now it is an incredibly harrowing film though in China it was criticised as not showing the true level of atrocity and it upset many by showing a Japanese soldier having some humanity.

Here is a link to Amnesty International about them www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/04/south-korea-disappointing-japan-ruling-fails-to-deliver-justice-to-comfort-women/

I know I have spun off on a bit of a tangent.

The writing is different, but I don't think I would expect someone with no experience to know the difference. I couldn't tell the difference between Farsi and Arabic, or Burmese and Thai although I'm sure it's very clear to speakers.

Those Binbin crackers use Chinese writing on the front but they were manufactured in Thailand.

You are overthinking this, OP. I’m sure the shopkeeper was happy to sell you his products, and he’s probably well used to western customers not being very clued up about different Asian nations and communities.
My DD speaks rudimentary Japanese and Chinese, and tries to practise the latter in her local Asian supermarket. The Chinese lady there laughs her socks off at DD’s accent and grammar, but says she wishes her own DC were willing to learn it - they only speak English, having been born here! She sells products from all over south east asia.

@Auntienumber8

Most Asian food stores are Chinese.

Mistaking the food I would say is not a problem. Mixing up actual Chinese and Japanese people would be for many.

There is a long and terrible history between China and Japan. My Father refused to buy anything Japanese till the day he died. He had relatives that died in the war between China and Japan in the 1930’s. He was about 9 years old when the atrocities were carried out in Nanking. His family had fled mainland China and were living in Hong Kong by then. His younger sister was killed in that war and he cried for her as he lay dying. The photos of my grandparents taken not long after that time show haunted eyes and great sadness and pain.

I assume your probably English? if so you will know how badly prisoners of war were treated by the Japanese. You may be less aware of what they did to Chinese people.

If you are interested in that period of time and have Netflix there is a film called City of Life and Death that documents the fall of Nanking and the subsequent rape and sexual slavery of thousands of women that was ordered by the Japanese military. So called comfort women, they also enslaved women from Korea and other countries. A few of these women are still alive and have had to fight for an apology and compensation

I will warn you now it is an incredibly harrowing film though in China it was criticised as not showing the true level of atrocity and it upset many by showing a Japanese soldier having some humanity.

Here is a link to Amnesty International about them www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/04/south-korea-disappointing-japan-ruling-fails-to-deliver-justice-to-comfort-women/

I know I have spun off on a bit of a tangent.

OP was buying Mochi. Jesus.

Doesn't sound like the man was too offended. By the way, Bin Bin rice crackers are actually made in Thailand!

I'm not really sure what @Auntienumber8's point is, if I'm honest. Yes, Japan's historic atrocities against China were terrible. As were the UK's atrocities against many of its former colonies. And as are current Chinese atrocities against the Uighur people. Human nature can sometimes produce horrific behaviour. I'm not sure what any of it has to do with the OP buying Asian food from a store that clearly stocks both Chinese and Japanese products.

They sold the food you wanted so I’m unsure how it could have been offensive for you to have asked for it? Or how he could have been offended?

It would be bizarre to be like “I can’t believe you asked me for japanese food in my Chinese food store, how awful of you, I’m really offended!! By the way yes we do sell it, it’s on that shelf behind you”

It's hard to tell tone from text (or when being corrected at times - I know I can jump to worst case then), but I'd take it as him saying they mostly don't sell Japanese foods or maybe directing you to part of the store as some are set up by countries/regions and then when you apologized he added on that yes they do sell that.

You didn't make a big deal of it so I'm not seeing it as rude. Not entirely the same, but I've had people guess my ethnicity wrong -- the ones that just apologize and move on are fine - I don't expect people to know by looking, it's the ones who like to give me their reasons in a lot of details or ask if I'm sure of my own background that are rude (really rude are the people who won't let it go with my children, they've had some nasty ones).

@Auntienumber8

Most Asian food stores are Chinese.

Mistaking the food I would say is not a problem. Mixing up actual Chinese and Japanese people would be for many.

There is a long and terrible history between China and Japan. My Father refused to buy anything Japanese till the day he died. He had relatives that died in the war between China and Japan in the 1930’s. He was about 9 years old when the atrocities were carried out in Nanking. His family had fled mainland China and were living in Hong Kong by then. His younger sister was killed in that war and he cried for her as he lay dying. The photos of my grandparents taken not long after that time show haunted eyes and great sadness and pain.

I assume your probably English? if so you will know how badly prisoners of war were treated by the Japanese. You may be less aware of what they did to Chinese people.

If you are interested in that period of time and have Netflix there is a film called City of Life and Death that documents the fall of Nanking and the subsequent rape and sexual slavery of thousands of women that was ordered by the Japanese military. So called comfort women, they also enslaved women from Korea and other countries. A few of these women are still alive and have had to fight for an apology and compensation

I will warn you now it is an incredibly harrowing film though in China it was criticised as not showing the true level of atrocity and it upset many by showing a Japanese soldier having some humanity.

Here is a link to Amnesty International about them www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/04/south-korea-disappointing-japan-ruling-fails-to-deliver-justice-to-comfort-women/

I know I have spun off on a bit of a tangent.

Thank you for this. I am very interested, and will watch

My great grandmother was a Jew and escaped Nazi rule by a sliver. Many family did not

@paralysedbyinertia

Japanese writing uses Chinese characters, mixed in with their own simpler phonetic symbols (hiragana and katakana). I wouldn't expect someone to be able to tell the difference if they didn't know either language, tbh.

In my experience, most "oriental food" shops I have visited tend to be run by Chinese people but they generally sell a wide range of products from East and South East Asia.

Incidentally, I wonder if you meant mochi rather than moshi? No idea what moshi are!

Yea it was Mochi! I did say it like that, but misspelt it in my OP

I love them, especially the red bean ones

I like them too, just be careful you don't choke on them, OP. They're a well known choking hazard in Japan!

Of course you weren't rude. Perhaps the man was just trying to be light-hearted, and didn't quite hit the right note. He wants you to buy the Japanese food in his shop, he's hardly going to be offended by you asking for it, is he?

As for the potted history of Sino-Japanese relations in the post above, it actually is not possible to roll ones eyes hard enough for that.

@Whosaidit

It would be bizarre to be like “I can’t believe you asked me for japanese food in my Chinese food store, how awful of you, I’m really offended!! By the way yes we do sell it, it’s on that shelf behind you”

Ha ha yes this! 🤣

It doesn't sound like he was at all offended (not sure how he could be since they actually sell the damn stuff!). Sounds more like he was just trying to be informative.

@Whosaidit

They sold the food you wanted so I’m unsure how it could have been offensive for you to have asked for it? Or how he could have been offended?

It would annoy me. I hate when people do that, almost tell you off to embarrass you, only to find you were right. Like it's a joke or something that's only funny to them.

Reminds me of when you ask someone if they know where something really popular and well known to the area is and they say, "nope, never heard of it!" You reply with a "thanks anyway" for them to laugh and say, "Nah! Kidding! It's on the next street!"

Fuck off. Dick.

@paralysedbyinertia

Japanese writing uses Chinese characters, mixed in with their own simpler phonetic symbols (hiragana and katakana). I wouldn't expect someone to be able to tell the difference if they didn't know either language, tbh.

In my experience, most "oriental food" shops I have visited tend to be run by Chinese people but they generally sell a wide range of products from East and South East Asia.

Incidentally, I wonder if you meant mochi rather than moshi? No idea what moshi are!

Of course you know what moshi are.....sigh......you knew perfectly well she had misspelt it.

Dick

I can't imagine he was remotely offended OP. You're fine.

They sold the food you wanted so I’m unsure how it could have been offensive for you to have asked for it? Or how he could have been

This. There's no offence to be found here no matter how hard I try to find it

Thanks all - I think he was trying to be a bit sarcy/light hearted with me. He had a smile on as if to say 'Sigh, silly woman and her olives '

For context, I'm Spanish and had popped into the Tesco next door just for olives but didn't buy a bag. Didn't think he'd mistake my olives for his shops property as I don't think olives are very Asian at all