# Phuc Dat Bich **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 24, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395 "2015-11-24T01:31:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/1 "2015-11-24T01:31:14Z")
Let’s all spare a thought for Australian citizen Phuc Dat Bich, ethnically Vietnamese, who is embroiled in a battle with Facebook. It seems Facebook [thinks his name is fake and keeps taking down his profile](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34897404). I can’t imagine why Facebook would have a problem, as his name is pronounced more like “Phoo Da Bi.” Good luck to you, sir. Fight the good fight. You da Bich! ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/2 "2015-11-24T01:51:03Z")
He’s scored himself a bit of attention has our boy Phuc:D ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/3 "2015-11-24T01:55:43Z")
Phuc Dat! ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/4 "2015-11-24T01:57:46Z")
Makes me wonder if [Dick Assman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Assman) is having the same troubles. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/5 "2015-11-24T02:01:34Z")
That’s awesome! In light of Brett Favre’s name, could someone legally change their name so it was spelled “Badass Motherfucker” but it was pronounced “John Smith”? That would really mess with Facebook, I bet! ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/6 "2015-11-24T02:49:50Z")
Not to thread poop, but I drank a beer from Thailand. It was called “Phuc” something. I don’t remember exactly. Does that beer exist? Or is it marketing? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/7 "2015-11-24T02:52:27Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Not to thread poop, but I drank a beer from Thailand. It was called “Phuc” something. I don’t remember exactly. Does that beer exist? Or is it marketing? I suspect you had Phuket Beer, which does exist. Named after the island province in the South. Pronounced “Poo-Get.” There is nothing here called “Phuc,” which is purely a Vietnamese name. Listening to the video of how to pronounce Mr Bich’s name, the surname is more like Bic than Bi. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/8 "2015-11-24T04:59:58Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Not to thread poop, but I drank a beer from Thailand. It was called “Phuc” something. I don’t remember exactly. Does that beer exist? Or is it marketing? Norway has dat [Aass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aass_Brewery). ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/9 "2015-11-24T06:03:02Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Let’s all spare a thought for Australian citizen Phuc Dat Bich, ethnically Vietnamese, who is embroiled in a battle with Facebook. It seems Facebook [thinks his name is fake and keeps taking down his profile](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34897404). > > I can’t imagine why Facebook would have a problem, as his name is pronounced more like “Phoo Da Bi.” > > Good luck to you, sir. Fight the good fight. You da Bich! I’m glad to see that he takes the whole business with a sense of humor rather than with bitterness. If we could all take ourselves as lightly as Dat Bich, the world would be a happier place. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/10 "2015-11-24T06:18:05Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I suspect you had Phuket Beer, which does exist. Named after the island province in the South. Pronounced “Poo-Get.” There is nothing here called “Phuc,” which is purely a Vietnamese name. > > Listening to the video of how to pronounce Mr Bich’s name, the surname is more like Bic than Bi. Thank you Sam. Here it is… > **[Phuket Beer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phuket_Beer)** > > Phuket Lager Beer is an Asian beer brand founded in 2002 in Thailand. The beer is brewed with premium German hops and Thai jasmine rice. > Phuket Beer was launched in 2002 as a premium beer, associating itself with the lifestyle of Phuket, a Thai beach resort. Phuket Beer is brewed at the San Miguel Brewery, Thailand, and Phnom Penh Brewery, Cambodia, under the supervision of Tropical Beverage Corporation Company Limited (TROPBEVCO). > Phuket Beer has no additives or preservatives and is produced i... ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/11 "2015-11-24T08:04:37Z")
My fave butcher in Springvale (Melbourne, Aus) is Phuoc Dat…which gave my kids umpteen hours of giggles when they were little-uns. It’s still there, and still Phuouc Dat! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/12 "2015-11-24T10:33:09Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I can’t imagine why Facebook would have a problem, as his name is pronounced more like “Phoo Da Bi.” They don’t want people to be able to put up fake names and claim they are real. Though it seems like there should be a way to prove that your name is real. I mean, he’s had trouble since freaking January. Also, based on what [this woman says,](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34897404) I’d probably transliterate it as foob dog big. There are clear stops that are missing, even if they are unreleased. (In IPA, it’s actually [fuk daːt biʲk], but that’s more confusing, as it would make you think it’s Fook dot beak, when it isn’t.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/13 "2015-11-24T16:46:16Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Makes me wonder if [Dick Assman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Assman) is having the same troubles. Or [Dick Pound](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Pound), for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Totenfeier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/14 "2015-11-24T17:08:35Z")
On a somewhat unrelated note: I’m from Virginia originally, and I always get a hoot out of listening national news reporters reporting from the naval yards at Norfolk. They’re always very careful to tell you they’re reporting from “NorFOLK.” “Folks”, I’m here to tell you - that’s not how native Norphuccers pronounce it! I give you the _probably_ spurious fight song of Norfolk High School: We don’t drink and we don’t smoke, Norfolk, Norfolk, We don’t drink and we don’t smoke, Norfolk all day… ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/15 "2015-11-24T18:21:33Z")
However, it sounds even worse to my ears when someone _carefully_ pronounces it the “correct” way, even if the best way would be to hastily pronounce it Norfuk. Then again I’ve never even been to Norfolk so I might be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/16 "2015-11-24T18:24:23Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I can’t imagine why Facebook would have a problem, as his name is pronounced more like “Phoo Da Bi.” Um, you do know that Australia is an English-speaking country, right? I’d put the odds of “Phuc Dat Bich” being a joke at 99%, at least. Mr. Bich just happens to be the other 1% of the time when it isn’t a joke, and that seriously is his name. ---
**Author:** ![Totenfeier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/17 "2015-11-24T18:46:02Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > However, it sounds even worse to my ears when someone _carefully_ pronounces it the “correct” way, even if the best way would be to hastily pronounce it Norfuk. Then again I’ve never even been to Norfolk so I might be wrong. Actually, the sound in question is sort of what you might call a “swallowed schwa”; possibly, the best way to transcribe it might be something like “Norf’k”. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/18 "2015-11-25T10:21:01Z")
It’s now being reported as a hoax: [BBC story](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34918491) ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/19 "2015-11-25T10:52:13Z")
> [@kferr](#): > > It’s now being reported as a hoax: > [BBC story](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34918491) Nooo! Phuc Dat Bich! ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395/20 "2015-11-25T11:10:17Z")
Similar thing in, perhaps, an earlier incarnation: in Leslie Thomas’s novel _The Virgin Soldiers_. The hero is in the British Army, serving in what was then Malaya, during the early-1950s insurrection there against British rule. Through an unfortunate misunderstanding, he shoots and slightly wounds an ethnically Chinese local, thinking him one of the “hostiles” when he is in fact harmless, and in the employ of the Army. The hero is accordingly disciplined for this error; however his commanding officer, when handing out the punishment, seeks to cheer him up a little by telling him the name of his victim: Fuk Yew. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phuc-dat-bich/738395.md?page=2)