DelBloggolo: NOT SO ‘LUCKY ORIENTAL’

Sunday, March 29, 2015

NOT SO ‘LUCKY ORIENTAL’

-->

A man and a woman who have never met before find themselves in the same sleeping carriage of a train.

After the initial embarrassment, they both manage to get to sleep; the woman on the top bunk, the man on the lower.

In the middle of the night the woman leans over and says, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm awfully cold and I was wondering if you could possibly pass me another blanket."

The man leans out and with a glint in his eye said "I've got a better idea ... let's pretend we're married."

"Why not," giggles the woman.

"Good," he replies. "Get your own blanket."

A few years ago #1 Son and I had a discussion about whether or not calling someone from China or Japan ‘Oriental’ is correct. Growing up before political correctness hit its stride, you thought nothing of calling a Japanese or Chinese person ‘Oriental’ because that was the accepted norm, then someone decided that it is racist to use that term about a person, you should use the term: Asian. This logic always bothered me because we had a restaurant in the neighborhood that was owned by Chinese and the food was of course, Chinese. It was called, or they called it themselves: Lucky Oriental! I guess they were self-racist! (A bad joke)

I would call on occasion for lunch or dinner and the takeout place could either wait for me to come and get it or deliver it if it was over a certain price. When they picked up my call they said: “Lucky Oriental” and even had a sign over the front that said the same thing: Lucky Oriental. The painted everything red and black and even had a cat that waved at you. They were missing the little Buddha altar and this may have played a part in their demise!

Lucky Oriental was in place for over 30 years, and served me well, with the best won ton soup in the world, either in the Occident or the Orient. Being Occidental, I enjoyed the soup and the use of the name, but no one ever called me Occident. I could be accident prone, but never Occident or Occidental.

This last statement got me wondering: do I call myself North American or Western, which could confuse some people thinking I come from Spokane? I mean Asian is the correct word for the politically correct, me being incorrect, and you can ask my wife, she will tell you so about all other matters, I use Oriental. Do I call myself American, Euro-American, what?

I liked Oriental: it was simple, matter of fact. ‘He’s Oriental’ is broader, yet more concise. You knew he could be Chinese or Japanese or Vietnamese or even Thai. Asian? Do you mean Asian Minor, or Asian and does an Indian qualify as Asian? No, Native Americans who once were Indians, and had to give up their title because someone said they were not politically correct all those years, were really Native Americans. Well now, there is a theory that says the “Native Americans” came from the Orient. So isn’t that politically correct? And if it is, aren’t they Orientals? Indians are from the Orient, just ask anyone wearing a red dot on his or her forehead and you will be told so.

The other day, TLW (The Little Woman) broke the news to me that Lucky Oriental was no more! Its doors closed for good, no longer would they dispense their fantastic won ton soup, no longer would I savor their tasty dumplings, both steamed and fried! No longer with good conscience will I be able to use Oriental when speaking about people from Asia. Sad. Sigh!