Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Fancy a Chinese?

139 replies

Tinktravels · 04/05/2023 12:28

Now I know this is ridiculous but it might give you a laugh.

American people on tik tok have discovered that we call it ' a Chinese' rather than 'Chinese food'.
There has been so many stitches of videos from mainly English or Irish people saying things like 'I haven't had a Chinese in ages' or 'I really fancy a Chinese tonight'. There are many that are actually calling it racist which is we all know is rubbish!

They are also slating the food itself for not being authentic Chinese and having dishes like curry sauce and chips. Cant argue with that one we all know its not authentic but its bloody lovely.

Has it ever even crossed your mind that people would consider this racist?

(Search A Chinese British on tik-tok there are so many videos on this.)

OP posts:
missmollygreen · 06/05/2023 21:08

CurlewKate · 04/05/2023 12:37

I though that in general people didn't say "a Chinese" any more? Nobody I know would.

Go on then what do you and everyone you know say? Cant wait to hear this lol

Tootsweets84 · 06/05/2023 21:38

My husband is Chinese so when I say 'I fancy a Chinese' it could mean 2 things 😋. He's not offended by either. I'm also not sure anyone ever thought the food we get in Chinese takeaways here was authentic, but I've never known one not to actually be run by Chinese people either. Have been to a really great dim sum place and I'm told that is a lot more authentic. No chips on the menu

CurlewKate · 07/05/2023 07:20

@missmollygreen "Go on then what do you and everyone you know say? Cant wait to hear this lol"
"a Chinese takeaway" "a Chinese restaurant". You know, like polite people do.

MrsClatterbuck · 07/05/2023 07:44

A big breakfast is a full English and I have seen menu's in Dublin serving a Full Irish for breakfast

herein NI we call it an Ulster Fry. It differs from a full Irish as it includes soda bread and potato bread

dig135 · 07/05/2023 08:02

Reality · 04/05/2023 14:40

Thank you, just fallen down that rabbit (not frog) hole. It's a classic.

I think the pinnacle being that, if posters check, the OP is always quiet on MN on a Wednesday (??). She remained convinced that 'mad as a box of frogs' was racist until the end though.

(Interesting that posters seemed to know each other more back then).

AmazingBouncingFerret · 07/05/2023 08:14

dig135 · 07/05/2023 08:02

Thank you, just fallen down that rabbit (not frog) hole. It's a classic.

I think the pinnacle being that, if posters check, the OP is always quiet on MN on a Wednesday (??). She remained convinced that 'mad as a box of frogs' was racist until the end though.

(Interesting that posters seemed to know each other more back then).

Show quote history

Most excellent thread.
Mumsnet seemed to be a lot smaller back then, plus we all went on Christmas meet ups and met f2f!

tabulahrasa · 07/05/2023 08:21

CurlewKate · 07/05/2023 07:20

@missmollygreen "Go on then what do you and everyone you know say? Cant wait to hear this lol"
"a Chinese takeaway" "a Chinese restaurant". You know, like polite people do.

You might want to have a think about why you think a very common language feature is racist tbh.

Because U.K. English also does that with, a full English, a roast, a chippy.

CurlewKate · 07/05/2023 08:24

@tabulahrasa Ditto Pa*i Shop. Common English usage.

tabulahrasa · 07/05/2023 08:32

CurlewKate · 07/05/2023 08:24

@tabulahrasa Ditto Pa*i Shop. Common English usage.

No, slurs are racist. And the common factor in shortening like that is the race of the owner, it’s not the kind of shop or a common thing to do with any other kind of shop.

With food, the shortening is the type of food, which is why it happens with any type of food.

CurlewKate · 07/05/2023 08:33

People might like to remember Goodness Gracious Me's classic sketch about "Going for an English" and how dismissive and rude it sounds. Then apply that finding to their own language.

midgemadgemodge · 07/05/2023 08:48

Never watched he programme

But I am British and it doesn't sound rude to me ?

CurlewKate · 07/05/2023 09:07

"Never watched he programme"

🤣So uniquely qualified to comment on it! I mentioned it because others on the thread have.

tabulahrasa · 07/05/2023 09:08

I mean you could argue that reducing cuisines to nationalities is racist, it’s not a hugely strong argument because that comes from how the restaurants and takeaways advertise themselves....

But arguably a chippy, a carvery or a greasy spoon are all “an English”

But the racist part would be using the word Chinese at all, not leaving the reassurance or takeaway part of the sentence as implicit.

tabulahrasa · 07/05/2023 09:09

Reassurance - autocorrect for restaurant 😂

Vegetus · 07/05/2023 09:11

CurlewKate · 07/05/2023 09:07

"Never watched he programme"

🤣So uniquely qualified to comment on it! I mentioned it because others on the thread have.

You sound fun at parties

whodawhodaeho · 07/05/2023 09:12

It’s all in context - they’re use plural for their food - eg food plural whereas we say a takeaway add in the type an Indian, a Chinese, an Italian then shorten it.

It makes me laugh that THIS is what American’s with their insane gun culture, systemic racism and pitiful healthcare, get worked up about…

Giselletheunicorn · 07/05/2023 09:13

It's short for 'a Chinese takeaway' and means nothing more than that.

Fuck me, I swear some people now spend their lives purposely searching things to be mortally offended by. What an exhausting way to live.

whodawhodaeho · 07/05/2023 09:13

My BFF is Chinese, family runs restaurants & takeways in the U.K. and has no issue with it.

RaiseTheBar · 07/05/2023 09:15

Saying "a Chinese" as a contraction of "a Chinese takeaway" does not seem racist. I cannot see it as any different from saying a "full English" when referring to a "full English breakfast "

Using the word "ch*nky" in any context, including takeaways, by a non-Chinese person is always racist.

BeautifulWar · 07/05/2023 09:16

People also say 'I'm going for the full English' without adding 'breakfast'.

Buffypaws · 07/05/2023 09:18

I think it’s racist to apply your own linguistic conventions to other nationalities.

Fancy a Chinese?
midgemadgemodge · 07/05/2023 09:19

CurlewKate · 07/05/2023 09:07

"Never watched he programme"

🤣So uniquely qualified to comment on it! I mentioned it because others on the thread have.

So you mean the statement isn't racist but can be made to sound so ?

Polarsnare · 07/05/2023 09:21

Plenty of eateries and types of cuisine don't have restaurant/takeaway or whatever else at the end here, honestly cant even carry out the mental gymnastics to try and figure out why it might be considered racist. There is of course an actual racist name which thankfully isn't acceptable to use anymore (although I'm sure some sadly still do) and should rightfully be called out but they arenf referring to that. Its also not really a surprise that places adapt to their customer base, do these people (hesitant to say Americans in general as I know they aren't all the same) truly think that the outlets they have over there haven't adapted to US tastes? I do get annoyed with the policing and offense on behalf of other cultures.

perfectimperfect · 07/05/2023 09:23

CurlewKate · 04/05/2023 12:37

I though that in general people didn't say "a Chinese" any more? Nobody I know would.

What do people say then?

BeautifulWar · 07/05/2023 09:23

I think it’s racist to apply your own linguistic conventions to other nationalities.

It's downright ignorant.

Like when Lammy complained about a news correspondent outside the Vatican being racist when questioning whether the smoke would be white or black when a new Pope was being elected. Couldn't be bothered to fact check just publicly proclaim it as racist.

Swipe left for the next trending thread