One of my coworkers is of Asian descent but was born and grew up in northern california and acts as american as apple pie. We often go to the deli downstairs for lunch and until now have never had a problem. They have a great selection of American and ethnic food (theres a mongolian bbq, a sushi bar, hamburgers, paninis, a buffet, etc.) and seems to be a literal melting pot of options and tastes. Even the servers are a mix of different ethnicities. It has always seemed to be a humble reflection of the city in which we all live. But with every outwardly perfect aspect of our fair city, there is a dark side, a Spitzer so to speak.
The story begins when my coworker and I grabbed a quick lunch about a week ago. We both got sandwiches (chicken for me, tuna fish for my counterpart) and went to the front to make our purchase. I was first and paid for the sandwich. They gave me the typical wasteful 2 plastic bags, 23 napkins, plastic utensils, and a straw (does anyone use a straw? honestly) and I was off to enjoy the food. My coworker stepped up and they began their christmas wrapping of his sandwich. Into the bag goes the napkins, the straw, and then the lady looks up and my coworker, looks back down, reaches for some chopsticks and throws them into the bag. Mind you he has only bought a tunafish sandwich and a bag of chips.
Now profiling is a tricky subject and I would never accuse someone of doing it unless I was absolutely sure. Maybe it was an accident and the cashier forgot that it was a sandwich and a bag of chips that she had wrapped up under those 12 layers of packaging. This thought was dispelled, however, when my coworker told me, "fuck that, she also gave me chopsticks a couple days ago when all I got was chicken fingers."
Although I thought this was hilarious, it does show that even nice old ladies who ring you up can be racist coosies.
