Week 17: Ms. Chin

Devon House Flavour: Stout

Rating: 3 stars

Stout is made out of a malt beer- popular in Jamaica is the Dragon Stout. If you like beer- this is the flavour for you!

As mentioned in a previous blog post, I am called Ms. Chin everywhere I go. It is not my family’s surname-but it is what all Asian descent individuals in Jamaica are called- Mrs. Chin, Mr. Chin, Chinee people, Chinee- variations thereof.

At first, I ignored the practice because it was simply what we were called. The locals genuinely believe it is a sign of respect. This was a complicated racial hierarchy and dynamic of the nation that was the last thing I wanted on my mind. I’m not exactly sure when it started but more and more has the name- Ms. Chin started to tickle my annoyance. But- am I supposed to do anything about it? I mean- how would I begin to explain that this practice was stereotypical, racist, and demeaning?

Although “Ms Chin” is a sign of respect, it is not to say that Chinese people are welcomed in Jamaica. For example- I was at a local bar with my roommate and the bartender ignored me while speaking to her. Anytime I would say something, she would look at me with annoyance and state- Chinee people taking over the world. When you hear about the Chinee people in Jamaica, they describe it as – the rich, they own everything. If you talk about the Chinese restaurants, some people will talk about the lack of safety, unsanitary conditions and how they are unsure if they are selling plastic rice or not. I understand why people think this- I do. But – what irritates me is that assumption that all Chinese people are the same. It is putting the conception that we are all the same. We are all human- but we are all very different. We need to treat the individual based on the individual not because of their appearance.

This ramble of thoughts came up this week because my electrician came by to fix our apartment lights. He could not get over the fact that I was Canadian, my roommate was African-American and I spoke English. I spent the two hours explaining to him how they need to stop assuming and how I felt being called Ms. Chin all the time. He struggled to understand how Chinese was simply an ethnicity to describe various individuals or groups of people associate d with China. How Chinese is a group of related languages and mandarin is actually the proper terminology.

I am struggling with my own identity- I find it frustrating to say I am Canadian but odd to say I am Taiwanese. My physical appearance speaks louder than the way I feel or think about things. How do I explain my cultural identity? Who am I?

Tara