Being Asian = Being Cheap?

I'm one of those people who equate frugality with being Asian. You'll see me at McDonald's just grabbing a fat stack of napkins. Why pay for something you can get for free?


"Damn, that's HELLA Asian." (yes, I've revealed my Bay Area affiliation)


I guess it's not PC (politically correct) to say such a thing... to associate a negative quality with a race of peoples. Like how running late is considered "being on _______ time" (feel free to insert whatever culture you tend to... Filipino, Armenian, Chinese, etc). I still do it though!


We don't own bottles of ketchup. We have handfuls of packets at any given time. Before I started middle school we didn't have paper in the house. I used to draw on old calendar rip-away sheets and the backs of cardboard puzzle boards. I don't use tissues. I'm not sure if I know how to use them. If we wanted to blow our noses, we used toilet paper. It's cheaper to buy.


My mother grew up poor in Vietnam. Her family knows how to... cheat the system. See, I'm scared to say anything. I'll either get in trouble or end up influencing young minds. I'll speak hypothetically then.


Hypothetical situation #1: You need a dress. You buy this dress. Be careful when removing the tag. Try to slip out the plastic thing instead of ripping it off or cutting in. That way, after wearing said dress to some elegant event, you can slip back the tag on. Make sure you spot clean! Be courteous! It's kinda like... dress rentals.

Hypothetical situation #2: You buy an item... let's call it a video game for $50. You open said video game and play it. Gosh darnit you discover that this video game is on sale at some other store! All you have to do is buy the new one at store #2, but return the new one at store #1 with store #1 receipt. Get it? Good. This one is totally moral too!


Well, you get my drift. When money can be saved, it will be saved. My mom once drove back to the store one time because she didn't get an extra dollar off. Gas and time don't really factor into any equation of cost. Labor is uncharged. We do it for the love of the game.


BTW, if you haven't done so already, you MUST watch this Russell Peters sketch. It explains the cheapness of Chinese people quite well.