The editor of Philadelphia City Paper has responded to outrage over a restaurant story which described an Asian waitress as “exotic” with “almond eyes.”
Bobby Caina Calvan, chairperson of the media watch committee of the Asian American Journalists Association, reported on Facebook that the offensive reference has been removed from the online version of the story.
In an e-mail to the Philadelphia chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association, Lillian Swanson wrote: “Ironically, one of our goals in tackling this cover story was to make ethnic restaurants in Northeast Philly more accessible across cultures. I hope you found the rest of the package, detailing the different foods at five restaurants, to be informative and inclusive.”
The controversy inspired comments on both sides of the issue.
Flora Ichiou Huang wrote “Do you realize the crap that Asian women already have to deal with on a daily basis? Furthermore, what does the shape of her eyes or the fact that she is “exotic looking” have to do with how good the restaurant is?”
But Creates Darkness wrote on Twitter: “doesn’t it (exotic) just mean ‘from elsewhere’?