# 🇪🇺 Europe | Why Europeans Think Asia is Poor and Backwards

**URL:** <https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999>\
**Category:** International Travel\
**Created:** [November 6, 2023, 2:51pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999 "2023-11-06T14:51:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 13

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hannes](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/hannes/32/161150_2.png) [@hannes](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/hannes)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2023, 7:17am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/244 "2023-12-31T07:17:44Z")

</div>

A post was merged into an existing topic: [🇧🇷 Brazil | CreamPie Sushi](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/brazil-creampie-sushi/235602)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PeiHua-Connie](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@PeiHua-Connie](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/PeiHua-Connie)\
**Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 8:46am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/248 "2024-02-29T08:46:39Z")

</div>

> [@hannes](#):
>
> I think the term gypsy is outdated and widely considered to be a racial slur.
> 
> The proper word to use would be Roma as far as l know.

Lots of old words in EU now considered to be a racial slur, got make sure use current terms like Lapland in Sweden might be outdated.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![OysterOmelet](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/oysteromelet/32/219695_2.png) [@OysterOmelet](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/OysterOmelet)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 1:17pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/249 "2024-06-01T13:17:07Z")

</div>

> [@Taiwan\_Luthiers](#):
>
> Supposed to, but it’s very hard to be sure.
> 
> The problem is a lot of these night market stands are run by baby boomers who are either tech illiterate, or they don’t trust contactless pay.

Oh heck \> yeah

> TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The number of Taiwan food stalls offering mobile payment grew 25 times over the past five years, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics (DGBAS).
> 
> According to a [report](https://ws.dgbas.gov.tw/Download.ashx?u=LzAwMS9VcGxvYWQvNDYzL3JlbGZpbGUvMTExMTUvMjMzMzg2LzAxNDBjY2NlLWUwMmUtNDc5YS04Y2M0LWRjOWI2M2EyYWE5My5wZGY%3d&n=OTUzMDE1MjU1M0hDTEhEM08ucGRm&icon=.pdf) released by DBGAS on Wednesday (May 29), as of June 2023, there were 233,000 stalls in Taiwan, a decrease of 74,000 or 23.95% compared to August 2018, per [CNA](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aopl/202406010097.aspx). The main reasons for this decline were the acceleration of online shopping and delivery due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a decline in tourists.

[https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/5881590](https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/5881590)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Andrew0409](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/andrew0409/32/69821_2.png) [@Andrew0409](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Andrew0409)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/250 "2024-06-01T14:04:38Z")

</div>

> [@hannes](#):
>
> I think the term gypsy is outdated and widely considered to be a racial slur.

I don’t really understand why because they will call themselves that but be offended if others use the word. Tyson Fury calls himself Gypsy King for example.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Anaptronym](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@Anaptronym](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Anaptronym)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 2:08pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/251 "2024-06-01T14:08:48Z")

</div>

> [@Andrew0409](#):
>
> I don’t really understand why because they will call themselves that but be offended if others use the word. Tyson Fury calls himself Gypsy King for example.

Tyson Fury isn’t Gypsy though. At least not in the sense that Gypsy is generally taken to mean Romani.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Andrew0409](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/andrew0409/32/69821_2.png) [@Andrew0409](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Andrew0409)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 2:24pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/252 "2024-06-01T14:24:32Z")

</div>

> [@Anaptronym](#):
>
> > [@Andrew0409](#):
> >
> > I don’t really understand why because they will call themselves that but be offended if others use the word. Tyson Fury calls himself Gypsy King for example.
> 
> Tyson Fury isn’t Gypsy though. At least not in the sense that Gypsy is generally taken to mean Romani.

I mean his people and others do refer to themselves as Gypsies.

Like I’ve said. Many Roma people do call themselves gypsies.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Anaptronym](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@Anaptronym](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Anaptronym)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 2:27pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/253 "2024-06-01T14:27:27Z")

</div>

> [@Andrew0409](#):
>
> I mean his people and others do refer to themselves as Gypsies.

Thats a bit like Ali G ‘is it because I is black?’ Like that guy is an Irish traveller from England, not a Romani. You couldn’t validly use him to gauge Roma opinion any more than you could use Ali G to gauge black opinion.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BiggusDickus](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/biggusdickus/32/90381_2.png) [@BiggusDickus](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/BiggusDickus)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 3:50pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/254 "2024-06-01T15:50:44Z")

</div>

> [@Anaptronym](#):
>
> > [@Andrew0409](#):
> >
> > I mean his people and others do refer to themselves as Gypsies.
> 
> Thats a bit like Ali G ‘is it because I is black?’ Like that guy is an Irish traveller from England, not a Romani. You couldn’t validly use him to gauge Roma opinion any more than you could use Ali G to gauge black opinion.

This is a bit pedantic. Maybe he identifies as a gypsy king, but should technically be a tinker king? Which pejorative is he allowed to claim?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Anaptronym](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@Anaptronym](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Anaptronym)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 11:57pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/255 "2024-06-01T23:57:30Z")

</div>

> [@BiggusDickus](#):
>
> This is a bit pedantic.

Gypsy is an exonym for Roma who are an ethnic group originating in India. Tyson Fury on the other hand is an Irish Traveller an identity which originates in Ireland.

I could start saying that I was some random identity that I am not connected to but that would be a bit Borat really wouldn’t it?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HenHaoChi](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/henhaochi/32/237620_2.png) [@HenHaoChi](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/HenHaoChi)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2024, 1:35am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/256 "2024-06-02T01:35:33Z")

</div>

> [@Andrew0409](#):
>
> I’ve had several experiences of Italians thinking I came from some rice paddy farm or something like that.

That is not necessarily bourgeois condescension.

It could be a romanticised view of the East… depends on the tone, I guess. You were there. I didnt see them talking…

Id love to live on a cinnamon and saffron farm, and build software.

And are Familymarts and grey uninspiring boulevards truly progress?

I know you know the answers… but IMO, Asians should be proud of their rice paddies.

They nearly got the balance right in Bali and Lombok.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![OysterOmelet](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/oysteromelet/32/219695_2.png) [@OysterOmelet](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/OysterOmelet)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/257 "2024-06-02T02:18:22Z")

</div>

> [@HenHaoChi](#):
>
> It could be a romanticised view of the East… depends on the tone, I guess. You were there. I didnt see them talking…

That would be nice. I have heard they fetishize minorities. But based on my experience, they have no interest in the Far East.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HenHaoChi](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/henhaochi/32/237620_2.png) [@HenHaoChi](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/HenHaoChi)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2024, 2:53am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/258 "2024-06-02T02:53:40Z")

</div>

More like a lot of people dream of having their own farm, near a mountain and river, growing mostly their own food.

Im sure they overlook the bugs, village politics and hard work…

But the bucolic fantasy is up for grabs, with 2-5 years focused work.

- 

I figure fetishize is too strong a word for most Europeans thinking of the East…

Many of them don’t even let themselves dream of moving, cos they are too sunk in decadent credit card debt. I figure 25% of the West would swap everything even just to be a “lowly” but free English Teacher, somewhere out here. So when I am griping, I remind myself that some IT guy with a cheating, fat, divorce-blackmailing wife would give anything to be footloose out here. JMO. No real idea on the numbers.

Funny that the London Tube is way outdated and a little dirty, but some Euros still think the Taipei MRT is rickshaws and chains.

Let them stay in their cube.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HenHaoChi](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/henhaochi/32/237620_2.png) [@HenHaoChi](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/HenHaoChi)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2024, 3:07am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/259 "2024-06-02T03:07:54Z")

</div>

> [@Taiwan\_Luthiers](#):
>
> The problem is a lot of these night market stands are run by baby boomers who are either tech illiterate, or they don’t trust contactless pay.

Do we really want the nightmarkets to turn into ApplePay hipster-in-spandex hexagons?

That’s why I moved here.

I lived near Kooks. 95% of the businesses were cash only. Tons of choice.

In about 2016 I saw a Polo-neck wearing hipster from the mothership running round trying to buy He Shou Wu noodles with some stupid card. He had a mainland-techie accent, I fancy.

That soft, upper-middle class, _I-am-being-polite-but-I-am-still-better-than-you_ brogue they learn from their parents.

I bet he was learning Kubernetes, or something. I could just see it in his ridiculous soul.

All the Buddhist vegetarian joints just looked at him like he was a shapeshifting alien, and froze him out with those half-smiles. Like a wall of Roman laser-shields.

Take your goretex Polo neck and go home, son.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![yyy](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/yyy/32/12085_2.png) [@yyy](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/yyy)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2024, 2:15am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/260 "2024-06-10T02:15:52Z")

</div>

Speaking as a shapeshifting alien myself, I have had no problems with Buddhist restaurants in Taiwan, but then again I always pay cash. :idunno:

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![yyy](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/yyy/32/12085_2.png) [@yyy](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/yyy)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2024, 2:17am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/261 "2024-06-10T02:17:28Z")

</div>

> [@HenHaoChi](#):
>
> Funny that the London Tube is way outdated and a little dirty, but some Euros still think the Taipei MRT is rickshaws and chains.

It depends which line you’re talking about, in London I mean. That seems to be true for any city with an old system that’s been added to in recent decades.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Andrew0409](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/andrew0409/32/69821_2.png) [@Andrew0409](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Andrew0409)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2024, 8:00am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/262 "2024-06-28T08:00:19Z")

</div>

This is an issue I’m going against in Europe.

Many of my cosmetics are made in korea. There’s a few of my competitors that push that things in the “far east” are not safe and UK/EU are superior. And yes they use the term far east.

I’ve had to explain a lot of the things we are selling are actually invented in South Korea for example. And they are way ahead of the UK/EU in advancement in particular products. And I would never use China for production for cosmetics and korea is not like China.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ponlaihop](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/ponlaihop/32/102107_2.png) [@ponlaihop](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/ponlaihop)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2024, 9:47am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/263 "2024-06-28T09:47:42Z")

</div>

Hire in some influencers to push your message, perhaps?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Brianjones](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Brianjones](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Brianjones)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2024, 10:00am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/264 "2024-06-28T10:00:46Z")

</div>

Just think that you are slightly ahead of the pack as much ch as it goes against you it will work for you.  
Korean cosmetic companies are gargantuan with massive research budgets, I have worked with a few sometime back.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HenHaoChi](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/henhaochi/32/237620_2.png) [@HenHaoChi](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/HenHaoChi)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2024, 11:47pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/265 "2024-07-02T23:47:41Z")

</div>

It’s true that they’re slipping out tons of advanced cosmetics through Korea and Japan now. The quality of consumer face creams will most likely skyrocket over the next 5-10 years… we are halfway to the Jetsons already.

Now you can spend 5 bucks in 711 or Poya and get a facemask that makes you look 2-3 months younger, and 10% more, uh, vibrant…

In 5 years time you might be able to buy consumer cosmetics that knock a full 5-10 years off your face. The beauticians and high level brands will have even more powerful products. Its not 100% sure yet, but its not unthinkable on this timeline, considering the rate of technology release in the past 2-3 years.

Cosmetic brands are directly linked to the ruling houses, and they tend to get new releases first.

The technology is all there. Has been for decades. It just needs to be negotiated and released.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![afterspivak](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ccd318/32.png) [@afterspivak](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/afterspivak)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2024, 12:41am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999/266 "2024-07-03T00:41:04Z")

</div>

> [@HenHaoChi](#):
>
> 10% more, uh, vibrant…

Do you have any specific recommendations? I’m always looking for that “vibrancy” edge. 🙃

Guy

[Previous page](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999.md?page=12)

[Next page](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/europe-why-europeans-think-asia-is-poor-and-backwards/234999.md?page=14)
