chopsticks, fried rice, white people

[tyler_cracker]

i am a late-20s white guy who was born and raised in California (SD and bay area). one of my best friends, whom i have known since i was 12, is first-generation chinese (his parents are from Taiwan). i also have tastebuds. because of these things, i not infrequently get a craving for chinese food.

today was one of those days. days of turkey and potatoes, while delicious, left me with a craving for some fried rice. unfortunately, i live in Las Vegas and have yet to find a particularly good chinese restaraunt[**]. a series of misadventures (apparently it's ok to just close between 2pm and 5pm on a saturday when i'm hungry and out driving around) led me to Sam Woo BBQ in scenic Chinatown.

i was seated at a table. the place setting contained a plate, an upside-down tea cup, a napkin, and a pair of plastic chopsticks. a waiter appeared in the form of a brusque middle-aged chinese guy. he was kind of balding up front but his hair was kinda long -- not the best look. anyway, i told him i wanted chicken fried rice and a glass of water. he mumbled and disappeared.

he returned a few moments later with a glass of water and a fork, which he set down on my plate.

now i am quite competent with chopsticks. i don't have the fine motor control to qualify as an expert, nor can i catch flies from mid-air, but i'm still no slouch. i can cut tofu into quarters for the table, and i have twice eaten birthday cake with chopsticks when the hostess ran out of forks.

obviously, the waiter has no way to know this; he just sees a scruffy/dorky looking white dude, eating alone at Sam Woo BBQ in Las Vegas with a book. still, whenever this happens, i find it kinda funny, and appreciate that i am smart enough to know the difference between benevolent efficiency and racism.

so here are some talking points:

I. first of all, am i weird for eating fried rice with chopsticks? i feel like i've seen asian people eating fried rice with a fork, but maybe those were flilpinos (in which case all bets are off anyway).

II. are you adept with chopsticks but prefer a fork for handling fried rice? let's chat!

III. are you a white person who enjoys asian cuisine and is often offered an unrequested fork? how do you handle it? how does it make you feel? are you preparing a motion with the ACLU?

IV. have you ever heard of an asian person being offered chopsticks while eating a meal from a fork-based society? that would be weird.



[**] recommendations are heartily appreciated, btw.

here is one resource: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...part=4&vc=1

here is something that is sort of a resource, but sometimes awesomely bad instead because vegas is populated by stupid, stupid people:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/bestoflv/

the people's choice for Best Chinese Food is (drum roll) P.F. Chang's.

the editor's choice, however, was Sam Woo BBQ, which turned out to be helpful.