Lily F.
Yelp
Got some racist vibes here. My Asian family walked in to look at the pastries, and we were immediately made to feel like we were in the way, despite having done nothing impolite or offensive. The trash can was placed by the entry, and we briefly blocked it coming in, and a staff member insistently said "pardon," not even giving us a chance to move before repeating herself. She ran into my brother and didn't apologize. As we left, I saw her speaking with a friendly smile on her face to a white customer.
I don't normally directly attribute rudeness to racism, but this woman's entire demeanor changed when interacting with my family vs. the white customer. She was impolite and impatient with us, but very welcoming to the other customer. I even got the impression that she was disgusted by my family's presence, based on her facial expressions.
Some people may say that "racism" is too strong a word, or that this was just an unpleasant encounter. Let me explain both: racism is a strong word, but racism often manifests itself in our lives in subtle ways. You don't have to blatantly say "I hate Asians" to be racist towards Asians. In fact, I find that most racism towards Asians is subtle, or just rooted in ignorance, such as greeting every Asian with "Ni hao." As for this just being an unpleasant encounter, I know the difference between an unpleasant encounter and discrimination. If a salesperson treats me differently from a white customer, that is discrimination.