Last night Brian and I ate dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. Long after we’d begun our meal, a party of 4 (2 couples) was seated at the table next to us. The initial conversation they had, which we couldn’t help hearing because of our proximity and because of the one guy’s booming voice, was about some Japanese restaurant, the name of which I didn’t catch.
One woman was so fascinated that she asked the conversation starter how the tables were set. I didn’t hear his answer but I imagine chopsticks were involved. Certainly this is a valid question because we Filipinos, for example, set our tables with a plate, a fork, and a spoon. No knives. Anyway, all 4 of them, who were all white, went on and on and on about various Asian cuisines and restaurants, mentioning a nearby Korean place whose name they didn’t know but that they see Koreans going in and out of there all the time. So it must be good, right? Kind of like Chicago Living Tip No. 22.
Should I have been offended? I don’t know, but I was definitely annoyed and Brian knew it. Finally, in a fairly loud voice, Brian asked “What do white people eat?” And, being not only white but from Iowa, he proceeded to tell me. 
White people like potato salad.
I wish I remembered the conversations I hear at restaurants, I’ve heard some good ones.
Robin´s last blog ..Splashdance
I would not be offended. I know that the Colombian restaurants that suck are the ones that I don’t ever go into. Doing the ethnicity check for an ethnic restaurant is not a bad thing in my opinion. I would actually be impressed that someone that is not a minority or Asian could tell the difference between Korean and Japanese people… but maybe I am giving them too much credit.
And now that I have been living in KC for a while I can tell you that a lot of “white” people, eat just meat and potatoes… the rest of the stuff they call, weird food, as in you eat that “weird food.” LOL
logtar´s last blog ..District 9 (****)
@Jess, thanks for that!
@Robin, believe me, it was hard not to hear them!
@logtar, it’s so great to hear from you! I think I was just more annoyed than offended, but I totally see your point. And you know what? Brian just happens to be a meat and potatoes kind of guy.
I eat everything I can get my hands on
Sheri´s last blog ..Blathering
So do I! Maybe that answers the question: what do bipolar people eat?
Brian was brilliant!! I love it!
I’m white and have been called “egg” more than once, because I’m white on the outside but yellow on the inside, and this because I could eat Asian food daily. Last night we tried a new Viet place and we were put in the caucasian corner, I thought it was funny. But I must say, I do get annoyed with “ethnic” stupidity. Oh and tonight I’m having fried chicken!
@heather, he is, isn’t he? But he pretends not to know it!
@stinkypaw, that’s a new one to me. I’ve never heard the term “egg” before. I guess we’re even because I eat a lot more “white people” food than Asian cuisine. If Brian and I went to that Viet place, I wonder which corner they’d put us in?
Really, though, what bothered me most was the volume of the conversation. The one guy just never learned to use his “inside” voice, I guess.