So, it's Asian American and Pacific Islander month for Americans and Asian Heritage month for Canadians (I know, really weird. I think it might be because America has Hawaii). I would say "happy" AAPI month but the month isn't only a celebration of the diversity of Asian cultures but also a reflection of the horrors that Asians had to face in North America.

So, I acknowledge the immigrants that came before me as they endured so much when they didn't deserve it. I also acknowledge my fellow diaspora currently living in North America as we are still being discriminated against and oppressed especially within the past few years due to COVID and how we needed to have a hashtag (#stopaaapihate). I'm not going to forget the Pacific Islanders as well as they are dealing with their own unique issues such as white people buying up land in Hawaii which is only causing costs of living to be astronomical to the point that native Hawaiians cannot afford to live there. Tourism doesn't help the natives, it only helps the rich white people that bought and control the land that shouldn't have been theirs. Not only this month but every month the AAPI community should celebrate our vibrant and diverse cultures and show how proud and happy we are to be us. The worst thing that we can do to oppressors is to remind them that we are here, we are not ashamed to be ourselves, and we will not be going away anytime soon.

Now that we have that established, I should also remind people that I am Chinese Thai Canadian. I do not look East Asian, I'm a very tanned person and I like writing my Asian characters to be as dark as me even if they are just East Asian because dark-skinned East Asians exist too.

It's a unique experience being a dark-skinned Southeast Asian. And by unique I mean exhausting. You can't even expect support from your own race or country sometimes due to colourism and xenophobia. You get bashed on for being ugly when you're actually fine as hell just because of your skin tone and when you speak out about racism in the West in a more intimate way, Asians in Asia tell Asian Americans that these problems are real and we're too "sensitive."

This is fact: "almond eyes" is an offensive description for Asian North Americans. The history of Japanese incarceration camps (not internment camps because they were arrested and forced to be there due to race) has negatively affected Asian North Americans because it happened in America and Canada. This descriptor was used to identify and target the Asian community during World War II. I had a few fights with people over this and it's frankly exhausting when they don't understand the history, the nuance, and the sheer fucking pain it is to be in a country that prioritizes white people over other races. The real fights should be with people in power and not within the community or other marginalized identities but some people aren't smart about this.

Like, if I want to rant about how I'm treated in North America, I will do it. I'll even do it right now.

When my family's restaurant was still open, I had to serve many white people because it was a white neighbourhood which meant I had to deal with white bullshit. One time a white man asked us if we fried the tofu before putting it in a stir-fry and I said "Yes". He proceeded to give me goddamn "tips" on just not doing that and making the goddamn dish as if he knew better because it's "healthier" to not use oil. On another occasion, there was an old white lady shaming us for not serving brown rice because it's not as "healthy" as white rice.

I'm gonna let you think for a moment about what the hell is wrong here. Take a few seconds and think.

The policing of Asian food (and any non-white culture food) is rooted in white supremacy. Especially when it's a white person lecturing about what's good for you and what's not. How dare they think that my culture's food is unhealthy by default. How dare they think that because they have an eating disorder they think that their diet "culture" should rule over others. If white people want healthy, go to some other place. Brown rice is literally white rice with extra layers. It's not healthier. They just think that because it's more expensive. The nutritional benefits of brown rice aren't enough compared to deem white rice as the worst option out there. Also, have these people never heard of eating in moderation? Oils are also needed to break down certain vitamins and nutrients in food to better absorb into the body. It's just as bad as people saying "yuck" loudly when they see Asians eating messy-looking food with their hands (and this has happened before with a grown woman).

If you want to be healthy, eat a variety of food and do a decent amount of exercise. Don't eat only one type of food since eating only protein, only fruits, only vegetables, or only carbs isn't sustainable. Having fat and meat on your bones is normal. Don't torture yourself over this crap and do not police other cultures on how they cook their food. I wish I could go back in time and scream at these white people about how racist they were being but the restaurant is closed permanently and I have to just not let myself think about it. But if I see this happening in some other restaurant, I will fist-fight the person. I don't care.

Despite all the negatives that I've listed here, I wouldn't change anything about myself. I'm proud to be Asian. I love my culture. It's something I proudly display in my writing ever since I started getting into creative writing. There are so many good things about the community and everything that it encompasses. Going to the wat (Thai temple) to celebrate Thai celebrations and being part of the community just is so much fun. Thai New Year is a big water fight. Thai food can burn your tongue off but it has so much flavour. There's also so much history in the preparation of food and what ingredients go into it that it's just so interesting to just learn about.

Just because it's different, doesn't mean it's better or worse. It's just how it is. White shouldn't ever be the default for what is considered "normal" or "beautiful" or "healthy" and we shouldn't let people at the top of society make us believe otherwise. White supremacy and oppression don't just affect minorities, it affects all of us. Their unhealthy views of food not only extend to Asian food but to Western food. If someone wants to eat a damn meal with whatever unhealthy oil, it won't affect anyone but these ideas of food superiority will pressure people just trying to eat to survive into having an unhealthy relationship with food.

So, don't let society chain you down. If it's not hurting anybody, why should shame be associated with it? Representation is so important because it normalizes cultures that are typically shamed for being different and people from outside those cultures can just expand their worldview.

Be sure to read books by underrepresented voices this month and every month and show marginalized creators that they aren't just an afterthought. I'll link some stories to Asian and/or queer novels by marginalized creators in the description below.