THIS SHOP DOES NOT RECEIVE THE JAPANESE, THE PHILIPPINES, THE VIETNAMESE OR DOG

Mr. Wang in Peking put a sign in the window of his restaurant kindly informing passers-by of his standards, which caused an uproar. He has since then taken it down voluntarily, as he says because of all the fuss.
The sign read: 本店不接待日本人，菲律宾人，越南人，和狗。
The meaning was that he would not serve people from Japan, the Philippines, or Vietnam. And NO dogs, please.
His reason for this action was continuing ire at those three nations for opposing China's attempt to claim a bunch of small islands that China seems to believe belongs to them.
I shall not judge the territorial dispute, but I wonder if it is wise to cause culinary incidents.

[Pronunciation of 本店不接待日本人，菲律宾人，越南人，和狗 in Cantonese:
"pun dim pat jip-doi Jatpun yan, Feilutpan yan, Yuetnaam yan, wo gau".
Clearly mr. Wang only knows the Mandarin idiom (北方話), as this is not quite how a civilized person would write it; it isn't in Cantonese.]

Mr. Wang did have a valid point, though. And no, it was not discriminatory, merely a principled but unclearly reasoned socio-political stand. He probably couldn't guarantee that he or his staff and clientele would not suddenly and savagely attack the honourable smelly foreign visitors with cleavers if they showed themselves, far better to warn them away in the first place.
Maybe the waitresses would burst into tears if faced with someone speaking weird gibberish from Japan, the Philippines, or Vietnam, then dump gasoline over them, followed by setting them on fire and spitting at their burning corpses.
Perhaps some of his regular patrons are jingoist axe murderers.
It is even possible that staff from the Ministry For Accepting Humble Tribute From Savage Nations regularly dined at his fine establishment, and would be outraged if they had to eat in the offensive presence of tattooed barbarians gobbling their food and scratching their pits.
As who wouldn't; it's nasty.

I sympathise completely.

The Japanese discriminate against everyone, but especially against foreigners. Previously, their involvement with the rest of Asia caused profound regret.
Philippinos easily devolve into bloodthirsty criminals, and pretty much hate the Chinese and the entire civilized world.
Vietnam mistreated the Chinese minority so frightfully in the seventies and eighties that they fled in droves; their overloaded boats fell prey to the Thai, who robbed them, raped the women and children, and then often slit every one's throats and sank the vessels.

[Those Siamese, it is well to remember, have a stellar reputation and are admired and respected by their neighbors in South East Asia. They are so cultured and refined!
Even all the snooty Europeans think so. They forgot about the boat people.]


The amount of fury the sign generated among English-reading Philippinos would have been amusing, were it not for the extraordinarily venomous tone, the blatant and disgusting racism they exhibited in response, their unacceptably foul language, and the spelling errors. Talaga.
Rather a pity the inhabitants of that place ever learned English.
Oh well, they still want to marry Americans.
And grow up using ketchup.
Passionately.

I rather wish someone had spoken up for the dogs, though. There is no reason whatsoever to keep dogs out of restaurants.
Dogs have good taste.


AFTER THOUGHT

Why are there even any Japanese, Philippinos, and Vietnamese in Peking? The food is not particularly good, the air-pollution is horrifying, and the eccentric locals speak a strangely unintelligible language.
Far better to visit Hong Kong, where one can dine exceptionally well, the natives are full of beans, and nearly everyone speaks Cantonese.
Also, unlike the far north, people don't spit everywhere.

You can even get sushi in Hong Kong.
For your dog.

本店不接待日本人，菲律宾人，越南人，和狗。

The restaurant in question, 百年鹵煮 (century brined foods), is an eatery in Hou Hai district (后海區) that serves Peking-style barbecue and prepared meats (京式滷味). The proprietor, mr. Wang (王先生) hails from Pudding City (保定市) in Hebei province (河北), where they have probably never seen any Japanese, Philippinos, or Vietnamese. They do have dogs there.
But they almost certainly lack Hong Kong food of any kind.


PS: 菲律賓人在網際網路上的卑鄙評論讀過了之後，這裏的博客寫手也不想接待菲律賓人。


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