Asian Life in San Francisco | Asian American Poll

ASIAN LIFE IN SAN FRANCISCO
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:08:58 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

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.]

"SF is ok but LA is better! People in SF are too uptight exposed to negative portrayal of Asians from Chinatown and they just get exposed to the negative side of Asians like snotty punk drivers in thier wanna be fast and furious cars"

Hahah... Fast and Furious. Well, just to clarify, do you know where the import scene in America started? San Gabriel Valley in LA.
TSJ Eric@KristinKreuk.net Friday, October 04, 2002 at 00:39:45 (PDT) [67.116.231.211]

SF is ok but LA is better! People in SF are too uptight exposed to negative portrayal of Asians from Chinatown and they just get exposed to the negative side of Asians like snotty punk drivers in thier wanna be fast and furious cars that cut you off all the time or that play driving games when driving is not supposed to be about games, no wonder people avoid and dislike Asians in SF, heck I'm Asian and I have to look out! In LA it's not as bad, there's more room, there's smog not fog,etc. Also as an Asian I want to say that we are very fortunate to be here, we should try to not irritate people so that they will hate us, this includes the way you drive, express yourself, etc. Don't let racism and hate grow from your dumb social mistakes!
Xykik Wednesday, October 02, 2002 at 19:28:46 (PDT) [209.179.137.24]

"The girls are so cold there because of the fog. It lingers in their bones. It's like they call in Cantonese, "Fung sup."

"SF is a deadbeat place as far as the Chinese are concerned. I just feel bad for those ABCs who never really been out of town...talking about the fog that surrounds the city.."

For some reason it seems that the women in the city (fog maybe?) aren't that friendly. This goes for Asian, White, Latinas, you name it. Seems that whenever I venture over a bridge or tunnel or put a few miles behind me the females automatically start giving me the looks. The weather is also warmer as soon as I leave the city, in addition to the babes. I can't blame it all on the fog though because that doesn't make much sense to me. But maybe it is the warmer weather that makes women more friendly and less guarded, ready to receive a brother comin atcha!
True Brother Wednesday, October 02, 2002 at 13:21:28 (PDT) [205.188.208.41]

LSD,

Haha... you are right about that. HK still rules! I guess they might have censored you on the other board because all that is on there are people bashing me, saying ABC's this, Cantonese that. Your post didn't go with the theme.

I don't think Cantonese would have the same clout without the British though. Canton and HK would just be another dump, and Cantonese would be seen as savages, like Fukienese or something, but who gets the last laugh now?! HK is all high tech while the "civilized" northern folks are barely entering the 20th century.

They do admit that Cantonese have the best food though. There was this one "HK style"restaurant we went to in Beijing. It was stereotypical. All the waiters were wearing Bruce Lee type button kung fu outfits, with those black shoes.

I know a ton of SF people who rarely even leave the city proper itself. That town is dinky! Most SF people hardly ever venture into other parts of the Bay Area! Nowadays, the only immigrants who go to SF are Toi Sans and Mainlanders. All the rich HK and Taiwanese people go to the East or South Bay, where the weather, food, and housing is infinitely better. I just go to SF for work and to party. Other than that, I'm not going anywhere near there.

The girls are so cold there because of the fog. It lingers in their bones. It's like they call in Cantonese, "Fung sup."
TSJ Eric@KristinKreuk.net Monday, September 30, 2002 at 11:56:50 (PDT) [67.116.70.40]

Hey TSJ,

Dude, I actually posted my reply on ur travel's board, but they decided to censored it...hahha....I guess I offended some people when I said that the Cantonese still rule!

Shanghai isn't all that to be. The current rage about Shanghai being the no. 1 city in China is a farce... I knew that all along! HK is still the most world class of all Chinese cities.

SF is a deadbeat place as far as the Chinese are concerned. I just feel bad for those ABCs who never really been out of town...talking about the fog that surrounds the city..I guess these people are surrounded by a fog if u know what I mean! I know of an ABC who lives in SF and he has never left the bay area or something..sad!
LSD Monday, September 30, 2002 at 08:41:00 (PDT) [66.212.81.229]

Oh hey, LSD and AC.

I just got back from my trip to the motherland, so if you are interested in what I thought, e-mail me at the bottom address (not the normal Lana Lang one), and I'll send you a trip report.

It's too long to post here, so I won't waste Ed's bandwidth, but I'll post some highlights. Ed, I know this doesn't belong here, but we mentioned this topic here awhile back, and this might be the only place where I could contact my fellow correspondents.

Anyways, as far as girls go, they sure weren't lying about Suzhou. I could seriously spend the rest of my life there. Wuxi has tons of hotties too. Both cities are in the same region, and Wuxi is turning itself into a miniature HK, complete with Vegas style neon lights and double decker busses.

Don't believe the hype about Shanghai. They are a good 20-30 years behind HK and Tokyo. Girls are hot as hell, and dress fairly modern, but are extremely country like, and not very sophisticated at all. They try toooo hard to be like HK and Taipei, without trying to forge their own identity. Posters of Andy Lau and F4 are emblazoned all over the city. However, their fashions are still below par. I think my little sis was the best dressed girl in the city, and that's saying a lot.

The city is marketed as "a most international city," where English is spoken by many. Suuuure... you will be hardpressed to find anyone who can speak putonghua, let alone English. And let me tell you... other than Vietnamese, native Shanghainese has got to be the most annoying language out there. It just sounds horrible!

Clubs? Zzzzz... Girls just strut back and forth. No grinding, no freaking. There was this one free concert at the Super Brand Mall, a monumental Thailand/China collaboration right across the street from the tower, which featured an Australian cover band. They rocked! They were playing your typical American songs, as well as singing some A-Mei and F4 songs... and they were a mixed group of black and white! Anyways, as usual, when there is a dope live band onstage, I just can't help but get my groove on. My little sis and I decided to get up near the stage and just started dancing. No one joined us! We were just up there like buffoons, while the most anyone else did was clap their hands. What a waste. I'm sure the band appreciated the fact that at least two people enjoyed the show.

Also, we were at this restaurant at the same mall which caters to more western businesses, and the waitresses there didn't even know what a tip was! They told us we dropped our money on the table. I mean, maybe in China they don't tip, but they are in the "international business district" in an "international city," and they don't know international customs?!

We stood out like a sore thumb, with our American brand clothing. I had mostly Hollister/A&F type stuff on with Nike Shox (hardly anyone wears Nikes in China). My sis had Polo Sport and Bebe looking stuff. People were trying to figure out where we were from. Most thought HK, since we were talking to each other in Canto, and some said Singapore, and even Japan, but most were in the back of their minds, hoping that the answer was good old USA, and when they found out we were, their eyes all lit up.

With that being said, just flash your Benjis (or even Georgies for that matter), and any Shanghainese girl you want is all yours. I got more pops in three days there than I do a whole year out here, and I'm just an average looking guy of average height. Honestly, I'd rather have a Suzhou girl over a Shanghai girl. At least that way, you know what you are getting, a simple down home country girl with old fashioned values, instead of a country girl who just thinks she is modern, and will instantly turn corrupted at the smell of cold hard cash.

Beijing has some hotties, but are very, very reserved. No one wears modern fashions. No sandals or tight shirts or anything. The city is full of smog, and really isn't a fun place to be. The only thing they have are the historical landmarks. Summer Palace and Great Wall are awesome, especially the latter. Tianenman Square and Forbidden Palace? Tourist traps.

Anyways, contact me if you want to talk more. I know you guys have been there, so maybe we can swap stories.
TSJ PepePearsn@aol.com Sunday, September 22, 2002 at 16:47:29 (PDT) [67.116.70.245]

[Cool, but we'll put a copy of your post on a new Travel Stories page as well. --Ed]

"Not to diss your hometown...but in my opinion, SF is a provincial town just like any place outside of NY and within America. It has diversity, but not in a way where that these groups are associating with one another in some form besides racial tensions."

Hehe... SF isn't my hometown. I live in the outskirts, in the East Bay. Besides, everyone in the Bay Area hates SF. It only makes up 10% of the area's population, yet soaks up most of the limelight. SF girls are the most stuck up girls out there, especially the Chinese girls (then again, that's all there is out there).
TSJ Eric@KristinKreuk.net Sunday, September 22, 2002 at 16:08:32 (PDT) [67.116.70.245]

SF AF,

That's why I said Asian Americans in SF should pick a candidate that will be sensitive to Asian American issues. We do have too many turncoats---like Elaine Chao.
SF AM Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 07:07:51 (PDT) [165.123.243.13]

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