In the days of colonial Shanghai, foreigners ruled the city and Chinese were sometimes relegated to second class citizens. The famous “no dogs or Chinese” outside a hotel sums that up quite well and it’s nice to know this old tradition is still being practiced from time to time.
I was dining with 3 Europeans (well, if Doncaster counts as part of Europe) 2 nights ago and 3 of us ordered the Schnitzel. Our German friend had a special request for some “gravy sauce” to put on his Schnitzel. He said in Germany the gravy was standard whenever ordering Schnitzel. So 3 of our dishes arrived, his with some nice gravy on the side.
Hmmm … that looks great I thought, so I asked the waiter if he would be so kind as to bring me some gravy too. He looked at me, screwed up his face like he was just about to give birth, and asked if I spoke Chinese. I said yes, and he immediately started to explain that it was difficult to get more gravy for me, even though he was happy to oblige the caucasian patrons.
I’m really sick and tired of Caucasians being looked up to, treated like VIPs, while Asians get fobbed off with excuses. I can list countless examples I’ve encountered or observed in my years in China (of course it happens the other way round too, but that’s a separate topic). It’s the reason I often just speak English when I stay in Chinese hotels as it’s often a lot easier to get things you want.
I replied to the waiter saying that actually I ordered the Schnitzel with potato salad and he’d given me sauteed potatoes, so if the gravy is such a big problem, just bring me a plate of potato salad. At least I know I’m entitled to that!
5 minutes later, a big pot of gravy arrived, although I am pretty sure the waiter added a secret ingreient of his own before bringing it to me!
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