Asian Life in San Francisco | Asian American Poll

ASIAN LIFE IN SAN FRANCISCO
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:09:05 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.]

"This may be true. What I said was that Mandarins cannot speak Cantonese without an accent. Cantonese can pick up Mandarin more easily."

That depends on when you learn it. How you learn it. And how talented you are at grasping accents.

AC Dropout Friday, June 07, 2002 at 14:30:58 (PDT)

"One thing tho....quantity doesn't mean quality. Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese and Northern Mainlanders have the wealth and education. Cantonese groups including HKers lag a bit.---I don't necessarily agree with this. Like you said, most Asians in all other countries are Cantonese. How would Japanese and Koreans have more power if there are none there?! Besides, few Japanese leave Japan unlike China or HK because their country is far more stable. "

Hey, I wasn't talking about power. I was trying to say if we became like the Japanese, Koreans and Taiwanese, hell, we'll have the POWER! Why? We dominate in numbers and we represent more than 50% of the Asians outside of Asia. So imagine what would happen if the people from our communities are represented in every facet of life. We'll basically have a MONOPOLY when it comes to Asian representation and influence. I hope many ABCs have bigger dreams than the usual model minority status thing.

For example, we have Gary Locke who is Toisan...that's the 1st step to something bold among us.

Second, we need to represent top schools, top companies, top restaurants (we'll be more than Martin Yan), top everything! We'll move beyond Hollywood and the American Media (btw, 99.9% of the overseas Asian actors who come to Hollywood are from HK, not Japan, Korea or Taiwan, so imagine what we could do with the media).

Many Japanese have big companies, many Koreans own businesses in white areas, and Taiwanese hold positions in top schools. If many Cantonese did the same, we'll definately rule!

For example, I have a friend who is HKer. He bought 2 buildings in a very nice area of Manhattan (NYC). He rents his apartments to many Asians especially those from overseas staying in the city for a few months. I admire the guy, instead of investing his money on some big a$$ house in the suburbs like most rich Cantonese, he decided to buy 2 buildings in the city, renting the apartments at a very affordable price to many Japanese, Taiwanese and Koreans and some HKers. And now, White people want to move in as well, his rent prices are lower than his Caucasian counterparts in the same part of the city. And being Cantonese, he's very efficient with all of his clients. He doesn't fuss around with the paperwork, their credit histories and the rest of the BS that other people like to do.

I'll tell you, most Cantonese are conservative as hell, they wouldn't do things that will bring them true respect. They tend to look at the smaller things, which is fine with me! But, hey, we have the upper hand on things, so why not take the full advantage of everything offered?

LSD Friday, June 07, 2002 at 12:32:02 (PDT)

"takeshi, jimmy lin, fan xiau xuan, amei, etc. are all from taiwan and have tried, and have been successful, in breaking into the h.k. music industry. hong kong is where the fun is at."

Sure, might as well add F4 and Wu Bai into the mix too. Like you said, HK is where it's at. It's just like saying people from other countries flee to Hollywood. The entertainment industry in HK is far more recognized than Taiwan's. However, many of these crossover artists still retain an accent. Takeshi and Wu Bai's are very noticeable.

Besides, in a lot of countries, artists from other places are very big. In Taiwan and China, they love Korean singers. Look at the video of Shinhwa's "First Love." It was filmed in Taipei, and the fans are absolutely rabid! Baby VOX is more popular in China than in Korea itself.

Lastly, HK is a very, very small place, and now that they are part of China, it is in the best interest of the performers to start branching out. That's why all the singers are singing in Mandarin now. Most of the big HK stars have done projects in Mandarin.
TSJ Eric@KristinKreuk.net Friday, June 07, 2002 at 11:01:05 (PDT)

takeshi, jimmy lin, fan xiau xuan, amei, etc. are all from taiwan and have tried, and have been successful, in breaking into the h.k. music industry.

there are many more, too. much more than vice versa. hong kong is where the fun is at.
penelope Thursday, June 06, 2002 at 13:55:23 (PDT)

"Most Chinese people in Asia don't have stigma about learning dialects. They go to a new place. The boss speaks another dialect. Guess what, you're going to learn a new dialect."

This may be true. What I said was that Mandarins cannot speak Cantonese without an accent. Cantonese can pick up Mandarin more easily.

"One thing tho....quantity doesn't mean quality. Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese and Northern Mainlanders have the wealth and education. Cantonese groups including HKers lag a bit."

I don't necessarily agree with this. Like you said, most Asians in all other countries are Cantonese. How would Japanese and Koreans have more power if there are none there?! Besides, few Japanese leave Japan unlike China or HK because their country is far more stable. The ones that leave only embark to new countries for business ventures, not to find a better life. The people who open sushi bars all over are usually expert cooks, not like those aforementioned Toi San los who open a shop because there is nothing else they can do. There are tons of South American countries with Japanese, although their numbers aren't all that huge. Many are even in high positions, including a president (albeit an extremely corrupt one), but most of those were actually born in that country. They are equivalent to ABC's, so they are already assimilated into that country.
I don't see too many big time Korean real estate projects around here. Most of them just open small mom and pop shops also. They don't have all that much clout.

Most Cantonese who fled HK or China left because they were poor, and had to look for a new life. If they had money, they would have stayed. Sure, there are plenty who leave for business (mostly to Canada), but most of them go back and forth. Now that HK is seemingly more secure, many are going back. What is really cool is those HK chicks who kick it in Vancouver at coffee shops (supposedly going to school), not doing crap, while their dad tends to their business on both sides of the Pacific. That's the life. What I need to do is get me one of those chicks, so when daddy gets old, he'll hand the business down to me!

Basically, what many Cantonese do is go to a crappy country, and make it better (for themselves), much to the dismay of the natives. Just look at Singapore, Indonesia, Burma, Malysia. I could go on and on. Cantonese are resourceful people. We do the most with what little we've got.

Remember, wealth and education isn't everything anyways. Taiwanese have money. Do you consider them to be magnificent people?

"Btw, all of the Southern Chinese from the Canton province represent 99.9% of the Chinese outside of China. Cantonese, Toi San, Hakka and Chiu Chou. All of them speak Cantonese although they're slighty different from one another. AMAZING!"

Exactly. That's why I said no matter how hard Northerners and Taiwanese try, people will always conceive Chinese to be Cantonese.
TSJ Eric@KristinKreuk.net Thursday, June 06, 2002 at 11:05:50 (PDT)

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