# US Dopers - reaction to this supermarket sign? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 14, 2011, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675 "2011-08-14T12:38:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/1 "2011-08-14T12:38:09Z")
I was in the supermarket this morning looking for coconut milk and noodles to have for tea tonight. The sign above the aisle read thus: [pic](http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4092/picmxo.jpg). Just wondering how US dopers (or other non-UK dopers) react to it… I’m aware of the cultural differences, but would this make you feel uncomfortable, or just a raised eyebrow, or would you not even register it? Would the reaction be different if this were a US shop rather than in the UK? The supermarket is ASDA which is part of the Wall-Mart group but this is typical usage over here. For those who’d rather not click: The sign above the aisle says “oriental” to refer to Japanese / Chinese etc foods. I know in the US “oriental” tends to be replaced with “asian”, but interested to know how seeing it in a banal public place like this would register. FWIW the same section of the shop uses “asian” for indian food (naans, curry paste etc), so here at least it’s a useful distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/2 "2011-08-14T12:44:16Z")
I don’t know if I’d notice it if I didn’t know I was supposed to be looking for it. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/3 "2011-08-14T12:46:25Z")
Hmm, I thought Oriental was ok to use for objects, but when discussing people one should say “Asian”. Doesn’t bother me. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/4 "2011-08-14T12:50:15Z")
I haven’t seen the Asian/Oriental distinction here. Here, the Asian section has foodstuffs from Japan, China, Thailand, and India. Most of the time I’ve noticed kosher foods being next to the Asian section, and the local market has British foods in that area as well. From the end of the aisle, AFAICR, it’s: Kosher, British, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese; with the Japanese and Chinese overlapping a bit. ‘Oriental’ is not the preferred term here. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/5 "2011-08-14T13:00:30Z")
It always startles me a bit to see anything labeled as Oriental, but I’ve grown used to seeing it in the UK after spending a lot of time there. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/6 "2011-08-14T13:01:29Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I haven’t seen the Asian/Oriental distinction here. Here, the Asian section has foodstuffs from Japan, China, Thailand, and India. Most of the time I’ve noticed kosher foods being next to the Asian section, and the local market has British foods in that area as well. From the end of the aisle, AFAICR, it’s: Kosher, British, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese; with the Japanese and Chinese overlapping a bit. > > ‘Oriental’ is not the preferred term here. Agreed that ‘Oriental’ is not the preferred term. In the local Super Fresh, the Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Indian foods sometimes seem to run together. ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/7 "2011-08-14T13:03:15Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Hmm, I thought Oriental was ok to use for objects, but when discussing people one should say “Asian”.. Took the words right out of my mouth. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/8 "2011-08-14T13:04:29Z")
I’d notice that it was not the preferred term used here in the US, but that’s it. I don’t think the term is a perjorative, even when used to describe people or ethnicity. Outdated, maybe. Interesting that the store makes a distinction between Oriental and Asian. FWIW, There’s a Korean-owned food store here in Michigan called “Seoul Oriental Market.” And a quick look at the local yellow pages reveals another store called “Oriental Emporium Food and Gifts.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/9 "2011-08-14T13:07:42Z")
I forgot to actually answer the OP, stating my reaction. > [@chiroptera](#): > > I’d notice that it was not the preferred term used here in the US, but that’s it. I don’t think the term is a perjorative, even when used to describe people or ethnicity. Outdated, maybe. This. > [@chiroptera](#): > > Interesting that the store makes a distinction between Oriental and Asian. I can see why the British would make the distinction. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/10 "2011-08-14T13:20:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I forgot to actually answer the OP, stating my reaction. > > This. > > **I can see why the British would make the distinction**. Why? A local chain (Meijers) has an “International Foods” aisle. I almost always hit that aisle, and if I remember correctly, stuff like Indian/Thai curry powders and paste, Chinese noodles, Japanese dried seaweed etc are all lumped under “Asian.” ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/11 "2011-08-14T13:29:59Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Why? > A local chain (Meijers) has an “International Foods” aisle. I almost always hit that aisle, and if I remember correctly, stuff like Indian/Thai curry powders and paste, Chinese noodles, Japanese dried seaweed etc are all lumped under “Asian.” In the UK, “Asian” is usually applied to people from India, Pakistan, etc. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/12 "2011-08-14T13:47:27Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > It always startles me a bit to see anything labeled as Oriental, but I’ve grown used to seeing it in the UK after spending a lot of time there. How about _Oriental Rugs_? ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/13 "2011-08-14T15:37:29Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Why? > A local chain (Meijers) has an “International Foods” aisle. I almost always hit that aisle, and if I remember correctly, stuff like Indian/Thai curry powders and paste, Chinese noodles, Japanese dried seaweed etc are all lumped under “Asian.” Right, it’s “International” here, which also includes foods from the UK (and Mexican, Swedish, German, and kosher foods). ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/14 "2011-08-14T15:48:41Z")
That aisle was obviously between Baltic & Vermont… ---
**Author:** ![Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Romeo_and_Whatsherface)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/15 "2011-08-14T16:04:12Z")
A couple of months ago, I would have thought it seemed pretty outdated. Now I’m just confused. I met a young man from India at a dinner party this summer. There was a bottle of “Asian Sesame” salad dressing on the table. It was one of his pet peeves that things marked “Asian” in the US are actually east Asian (or supposedly so…not sure how “Asian” American salad dressings are.) He pointed out that there are well over a billion people in Asia who are not east Asian. I didn’t think to ask him what his preferred term would be, and I have no proposed alternatives, other than “East Asian,” “Central Asian,” etc. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/16 "2011-08-14T16:13:23Z")
I tend not to notice supermarket signs. But if I saw it in the UK, I’d think that things are different in different countries. If I saw it in the US my eyebrows would go straight up and make me wonder about the store. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/17 "2011-08-14T16:19:26Z")
I’m at the Atlanta airport right now and I just ate at Asian Chao, Oriental Cuisine. The only reason I even noticed is because of this thread. I agree that the term seems acceptable for objects, just not people. And yes, the food was terrible. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/18 "2011-08-14T16:21:04Z")
Pretty mild reaction of surprise - not because I find the term offensive, but because I know others do, and I’m used to supermarkets that don’t try to piss off their customers so blatantly. “International Foods” or “World Cuisine” or somesuch is the signage I’d expect to see. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/19 "2011-08-14T16:22:47Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Hmm, I thought Oriental was ok to use for objects, but when discussing people one should say “Asian”. This is correct, or at least it was correct. It does seem to be changing. I call it PC Creep. People think, “Hurr durr. Asian good. Oriental bad,” without understanding context. It’s like that newspaper reporter from the US who asked Nelson Mandela what it was like to be the first African American leader of South Africa. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675/20 "2011-08-14T16:28:31Z")
I hadn’t realized that oriental has become politically incorrect. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-reaction-to-this-supermarket-sign/592675.md?page=2)