Asian Life in San Francisco | Asian American Poll

ASIAN LIFE IN SAN FRANCISCO
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:09:09 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Which San Francisco Bay area offers the best environment for Asian Americans?
Downtown SF | 47%
East Bay | 31%
Marin County | 8%
South San Francisco | 14%

What's the best thing about living in the San Francisco Bay area?
Breathtaking Scenic Beauty | 40%
Clean Air | 19%
Lots of Fine Chinese Restaurants | 15%
Asians Everywhere | 18%
Great Universities, Skiing and Wine | 8%

What's the worst thing about living in the San Francisco Bay area?
No Summer Weather | 12%
Perpetual Gridlock | 40%
Too Crowded with Asians | 1%
Shortage of Decent Housing | 47%

This poll is closed to new input.
Comments posted during the past year remain available for browsing.

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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

TSJ,

The gay culture I've seen so far with my family is extremely superficial in the sense of appearances. So Asians are either extremely macho or extremely feminine.

Perhaps because I know all the people I'm introduced to is gay. But I have yet to meet someone gay in SF who is just John Q. Public. They are all either health nuts with platium membership at a local gym. Or they are the fufu person who has more age retarding cream in use than Elizabeth Taylor.
AC Dropout Friday, May 24, 2002 at 09:41:42 (PDT)

LSD:
hmm ... there's an Indonesian place somewhere around Sunset that's aite (aside from being too expensive ...) ... but yeah, gotta go South Bay for Chinese food.
T.H. Lien Friday, May 24, 2002 at 00:16:22 (PDT)

"Are you referring to the Chinese restaurant in Milpitas (Ranch 99 shopping center) where they serve the round flat bread with sesame seeds (my Taiwanese friend called it Chinese pizza)? I went there once and loved it. Do you remember the name? I want to go back, but don't remember which restaurant it was."

Hey, MTSO. Yeah! That one is called Darda Seafood in Milpitas Square, www.milpitasquare.com. There is also a branch in SJ and LA. Another good one is Ma's Restaurant in Pacific Rim Center II in SJ. I first tried this stuff when I was in San Gabriel, and I didn't even know that there were some back home too. The funny thing is you will find a lot of Middle Easterners and Indians in there as well. I guess it is Chinese food cooked in Middle Eastern spices, Islamic style. On weekdays lunch hours, that place is a geekfest though (right near Cisco Systems, Novellus, KLH, Quantum, Lucent, etc.)
TSJ Eric@KristinKreuk.net Thursday, May 23, 2002 at 12:22:46 (PDT)

AC,

Make sure you bring a large ice box loaded with cold cuts and beverages from NY to SF.

Those Safeway supermarkets out in SF are no 24 hr East Coast Pathmark. Expect to pay a hefty price for any prepacked food and deli delights.
Safeway thinks it has the right to jack up the prices just because it is open 24 hours. Too bad there are no 24 hour convenient stores out there to compete with Safeway.

A small corn beef sandwich with swiss and l&t from the deli corner will cost you around $6.50 out there, where as of here, it will cost you $5 or less.

TSJ,

I forgot to mention South Bay. Yeah, the food does gets better as you head further south from SF.

Food is San Mateo is ok, and much better compared to SF.

South Bay restaurants has real food. Chinese restuarants in South Bay serve good food because the cooks out there are from HK and Taiwan, unlike SF where you get these poor old Chinaman Toi San types who can't cook for sh*t! The problem with SF Chinese restuarants is that they serve old school Chinese food, and will always continue to do the same. Like I said, they make their money from the ignorant folks such as tourists.

LSD Thursday, May 23, 2002 at 12:22:05 (PDT)

TSJ,

You mentioned this in a previous post:

"They ask me to take them all the time now! The Islamic Chinese stuff out in Milpitas/San Jose is to die for too."

Are you referring to the Chinese restaurant in Milpitas (Ranch 99 shopping center) where they serve the round flat bread with sesame seeds (my Taiwanese friend called it Chinese pizza)? I went there once and loved it. Do you remember the name? I want to go back, but don't remember which restaurant it was.

MTSO Thursday, May 23, 2002 at 00:42:41 (PDT)

"Won't go near their stores or clothes ever again. I guess they really f***ed up this time, didn't they? Sometimes it's the only way people learn."

A&F sures seems to be taking a hit, don't they? They actually made MORE money due to the protests. Right now, they are laughing all the way to the bank. It's probably a conspiracy. The people who protested are employees of A&F! They are marketing genuises!

"I got family in SF I see every so often. Some of them are openly gay...so it keeps my family visits interesting."

Is it me or does it seem like Asian gay guys are more effeminate than their counterparts? I mean, Asian guys in general already have a "less than macho" stigma attached to them. Being gay would magnify this tenfold. You know how in gay couples, just like with straight couples, there is one dominant one, and one passive one. When I see Asian gay guys (usually with gay white guys), they are always playing the role of the woman.

"Another thing is that many of the Asian eateries in SF has the worst of 2 worlds. They're dirty and the food is not good.

I only recall one good Chinese restuarant in the Bay area. In fact, it wasn't even located in SF, it was situated around the Southern San Francisco/Daly City area."

Yeah, the food in SF sucks. The area you are referring to is even worse. You have to go to the South Bay and southern East Bay to find the more modern Chinese food. The rich HK immigrants tend to shy away from SF nowadays (the poor ones still go there). Most of them settle in more affluent areas. That's where all of the nicer, contemporary restaurants pop up. It looks more like Richmond, BC (Hongcouver) than San Francisco. Also, Taiwanese places (like those cool hot rock grill places) are all over as well.

It's true about following the hot chicks into restaurants. You definitely will not find any hot chicks in SF Chinatown. Oakland Chinatown, though, rundown as it may be, does have its fair share, but most of them don't live anywhere near there.
TSJ Eric@KristinKreuk.net Wednesday, May 22, 2002 at 12:21:36 (PDT)

LSD,

Sound like I should pack my own lunch, next time I'm in SF
AC Dropout Wednesday, May 22, 2002 at 11:22:47 (PDT)

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