Subtle Asian traits we can all relate to

Facebook group Subtle Asian Traits has blessed us with some of the most hilarious Asian memes in the past few months. Now that the Year of the Pig has just started, let’s look back at some of the classics that you can definitely relate to if you, like me, grew up in an Asian household. 

Your never-ending family tree

If you’re Asian, your family tree probably goes on and on and it just never ends. It always feels like solving a new math equation every time you’re trying to figure out what to call that certain relative before you go to family gatherings. Most of the time, you’d just be thinking “who is this woman?” while trying to act like you know who they are.

The dinner bill situation

You know when you go to yum cha with your entire family and everything seems fine until someone has to pay the bill? That’s when your grandparents, aunties and uncles all fight over the bill at the same time, which will most likely result in an unnecessary scene at the cha lou bill counter…

What goes down at family gatherings

Are you even at an Asian family gathering if your gossipy Asian aunties don’t ask you personal questions about your love life? “Do you have a boyfriend?” “When are you going to bring him home?” “When are you getting married?” You know the drill, but for some of us who are still happily single, it definitely puts quite a bit of pressure on us to settle down.

Discussions about your future

You know when you go to family gatherings and all the attention goes to you all of a sudden? Your whole family would start an entire discussion about your future then you realise you don’t even have a say. Sad reacts only.

Brutally honest comments on your appearance

Let me just put this out there, Asians are brutally honest with every comment they make. Especially when they see someone who they haven’t seen in a while and they think it’s okay to comment on how their appearance has changed. When you’ve gained a bit of weight, they’d tell you you’ve gotten fat and that you should lose some weight, but when you’ve lost a bit of weight, they’d tell you to eat more. *inserts surprised Pikachu meme here*

You probably have strict parents

Who doesn’t like to go and hang out with their best friends when they’re young? But for those of you who have strict Asian parents, you know how it is. Not only would you have to notify your parents at least 5 business days in advance but you’d also have to provide all the details of what you’ll be doing and all your friends’ contact details. If nothing works – I think we’ve all been there – it’s time to use your best friend’s name again.  

Parents think they know science

If you have Asian parents, they probably have been telling you to not do this and that. However, most of them are just myths that aren’t scientifically proven at all. Some of them include: charging your phone next your bed will give you brain cancer, sleeping with your hair wet will give you migraines when you get older, etc. Text me back if any of that made any sense to you at all.

I mean, regardless of how much these things annoy us sometimes, we should be very proud of our own heritage. Wishing everyone a legendary Year of the Pig!