dinner Archives - The Race Card Project

Adobo Beef Stew Rice Potatoes: Dinner

July 9, 2025July 9, 2025 1717, Adobo, Beef Stew, CA, Chinese, danish, dinner, Fillipino, German, Greek, Hapa, James Estanislao Herr, Los Angeles, mestizo, Morning Edition, NPR, opportunity, Spanish, tisoy

James Estanislao Herr,
Los Angeles, CA.

Dad’s side came over in 1717–Swiss-German and Irish with some Danish and Greek thrown in. Mom came over in 1954. Filipino, Spanish and Chinese with I guess some Portuguese somewhere along the way given my middle name. Grew up in an all white community outside Philadelphia. Not sure who I was but I didn’t fit in. Moved to LA in my 30’s and found a community that looked like me–or what I thought looked like me. Still have to introduce myself as Filipino. But also found Hapa’s and Tisoy’s and Mestizo’s in all kinds of mixes and colors, shapes and sizes. We all have our way of identifying who we are and why. I find comfort in the brown side of my heritage but still proud of all of it. One conversation I’ve had with many mixed race friends, that I haven’t heard in general public discussions. When you choose to marry and have kids, does your mother’s side or your father’s side become the anomaly. This used to bother me a lot more when I was younger. Not so much today. Thank you for this Project and this opportunity.

Learn more about Estanilao Herr’s six words on NPR’s Morning Edition

Age 5 They don’t serve Mexicans

August 15, 2024 Chicago, dinner, Don, don't serve, first experience, food, IL, Mario Lopez, Mexican, Mexico, police, racism, restaurant, Texas, TX

Mario Lopez,
Chicago, IL

Our family was on vacation on the way to visit family in Mexico and we went to some restaurant in Texas and after sitting unattended for almost an hour, my dad tells me “we’re going to have to go.” I asked him “Why?” and he tells me “they don’t serve Mexicans here.” Again I asked “but why? “We have money to pay don’t we?” my Dad says “of course we do.” I persisted “so why can’t they serve us, we’re not asking for anything for free?” He responds, “they just don’t serve Mexicans.” For many years I could not understand why a business would willingly lose out on making money by refusing to serve someone because of who they were.

I ate pasta, family ate rice.

December 7, 2022December 7, 2022 CA, dinner, filipino, food, Melanie Vanderlipe Ramil, Morning Edition, NPR, pasta, rice, Sacramento, you don't look

Melanie Vanderlipe Ramil,
Sacramento, CA.

Growing up, I wanted to be as “non-Filipino” as possible and felt great achievement whenever a friend said to me, “You seem so white!” During my middle school years, I claimed to not like rice (the staple for every night’s family dinner). My mom, after rushing home from work to cook dinner for us everyday, relented and lovingly prepared pasta for me while the rest of the family ate rice and the evening’s accompanying meat dish. Today, I long to speak Tagalog, call my mom every week for advice on how to cook Filipino dishes, and look forward to the day when I have children and can share my rich heritage with them.

Learn more about Vanderlipe Ramil’s six words on NPR’s Morning Edition

Are you having white girl problems?

September 25, 2018September 25, 2018 Charley Birdsall, dinner, dramatic, employee, friends, HI, Kailua, slur, spoiled, stereotype, stupid, ungrateful, white, White girl, white girl problems, young

Charley Birdsall,
Kailua, HI

One night, my friends were having dinner across the street from where my family and I were having dinner. So, I decided to go surprise them. They were all in the bathroom and when I went in there I startled them and they screamed. Then a very white employee that was a girl stormed into the bathroom and said without even thinking or looking at us “Are you guys having white girl problems”. A white girl problem is a way to refer to something as dramatic or ungrateful. To someone who doesn’t understand the situation a white girl problem could come across very pointless and stupid. This experience made me very offended since the employee didn’t know our situation and she atomically referred to us as spoiled brats. A synonym for white girl problems is a spoiled brat. She had no right to say this since she was also very white and young.