Laid Off Diary 📔12. Asian Hate

All the bad things come at once

Wednesday, August 21, at around 5:30 PM, I found myself at Plaza El Segundo — one of my go-to spots where I always feel safe and at ease. My friend and I even call it our little “heaven” because it has everything we love: Nordstrom Rack, Whole Foods, HomeGoods, Starbucks, Ulta, you name it.

I had just finished shopping at HomeGoods, stocking up on groceries, and was heading back to my car in the parking lot. A woman who had parked next to me said “Excuse me” on my back, so I moved aside, loaded my stuff into the trunk, and waited for her to leave. Even though I came to my car first, I thought she was in a hurry. The space between our cars was tight, so I thought I’d give her some time to get on her way.

A couple of minutes passed, and I started wondering why she hadn’t left yet. When I looked over, I saw her splash soy sauce on my car and then drive off in a hurry.

She was a blonde white woman, probably in her 20s or 30s, driving a white Hyundai sedan. The second I saw it happen, it hit me — this wasn’t just random; it felt like an act of Asian hate.

I was in total shock when I first saw it. I almost screamed, thinking it might be coffee, but then the smell hit me — it was soy sauce. I figured she probably got it from Whole Foods, maybe with some sushi, since they usually include soy sauce. I just bought this car this year, so I wanted to clean it up immediately. I grabbed a wet tissue from my car and started wiping it down, but the smell was overwhelming — it felt like soy sauce was all over me. I headed straight to the car wash.

This is the third time this year I’ve experienced an act of Asian hate. One time, while I was with my friend in San Diego, a blonde girl in a van yelled, “ugly Asian bitches,” before driving off. Another time, I was sitting in a café when a blonde Australian couple loudly said, “I don’t like to sit next to them.”

This is the reality in the USA. Asian hate crimes have become disturbingly normal, and they can even occur in seemingly safe places like a cozy shopping mall.