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29 Jun 2007

a matter of taste

Rice and potato queens have often been the subject of discussion on Fridae and elsewhere. What about rice and potato queen dykes? Lesbian columnist Dinah Garder explains why "Asian girls just do it for her" and attempts to uncover the differences between gay men and lesbians who profess a preference for a certain race.

Gay men aren't afraid to say what they like.

If you're not sure which one you are, answer this question: Who would you rather bed, Jenny Shimizu (left) or Angeline Jolie? Since appearing in Foxfire in 1996, Shimizu remains the most internationally known Asian lesbian while Jolie made it to the No. 2 spot on lesbian web site Afterellen's Hot 100 List.
Who cares if it's PC or not? White boys who like Asians are proud to crown themselves rice queens; Asians who fancy white meat rejoice in being a potato queen; while Asians who only get hard for their fellow race swan about as sticky rice.

Just check out some of the names on fridae. There's ricenbeanqueen, riceboy, riceloverla, riceater, ricesucker, NYCstickyrice, ricemonkey, beef4rice. And my personal favourite - Riceqween (oogabooga). No other starch gets a look in!

But how about the girls? Are there white dykes out there who only ogle oriental chicks? And where are the Asian lesbians who prefer potatoes?

If you're not sure which one you are, answer this question. Who would you rather bed, Angeline Jolie or Jenny Shimizu?

I must confess to being a chip off the old block myself. Shimizu would win pants down. For about a decade I exclusively dated Asian girls. Part of the reason was simply supply. Living in Hong Kong and China there were a lot of Asian dykes and not many blue-eyed, blonde-haired hussies to chase. Well, there was one. But she was German. And irreversibly mad.

But, even given the choice, I think I'd still order rice. But why?

Asian girls just do it for me. They have perfected androgyny to a t. They have more boyish figures and clean lines - narrow hips, a flatter chest and high cheekbones. The extremes of sex - voluptuous lipstick lesbians and beefy man dykes -- leave me cold. But the lean, mean androgyne is my queen.

I sound superficial, but when the pants are off, the mechanics of attraction, whether we like it or not, are built from such shallow rules.

I ask Mr M, an outrageous, flirtatious Chinese fag, why he loves white boys. "Because they have bigger cocks," he smiles. "And they're cuter."

That's nice.

Perhaps the whole rice/potato queen phenomenon is just an extension of the whole gay-lesbian identity. Isn't a racial preference just an extreme form of sexual preference? As a dyke I desire women. And as a rice queen dyke, I desire Asian lesbians.

Ms P, a Chinese dyke living in Australia, says she that while she thinks rice and potato queens exist in the lesbian world, it's probably not because of racial differences in body type as it is for the boys.

"I think to a certain extent, the potato/rice phenomenon exists in all kinds of dating culture," she muses. "It's probably not as established in the dyke culture as it is in the fag culture though. Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe - and this is just a grope in the dark, one in a million, not out to offend anyone - it's because for boys, ethnicity and, uh, physical endowments more often than not go hand in hand. Chicks probably don't have that problem."

I also find Asian girls less intimidating. I'm small. And I prefer to have a roll in the hay with someone who's unlikely to either crush me or give me a slipped disc maneuvering into place for a spot of 69'ing. Asian girls, on average, are more petite than ponderous. And I like that.

If you would prefer I dig a little deeper and harder - and I know you do - a taste for rice may come from a desire to explore the unknown. To a potato, rice is exotic. And the exotic is erotic.

I ask Fan Laoshi, a European queer, why he is an incorrigible rice queen.

"Maybe because they are different, so they will always be slightly mysterious to me," he smiles. "And maybe because their culture is different to mine, there is always that curiosity to find out what kind of person is behind the exterior. If I look at a white man, because I'm familiar with his cultural background, perhaps he is no longer mysterious to me. I can probably guess what he is thinking But with someone from another culture that is not necessarily the case, so there is always a sense of the mysterious."

He adds: "I often think that most people who prefer people of other races are, in the main, adventurous people, or people who are interested in other cultures. These people are attracted to the exotic, and they always want to try something different."

An extreme case of opposites attract.

But some dykes say they develop a taste for rice, or potato, because that's what they are used to. Rather than contempt, familiarity breeds attraction.

Jockie, who is Eurasian, says she's instinctively attracted to white women. "I think part of it reflects the demographics of the neighbourhood where I grew up - Vancouver -- I was the only Asian kid around.

"And part of it is just that white dyke style is so visible and familiar. It's had longer to develop, and thanks to media and the Internet, it's been internationalised. The crazy hair, the piercings, the tattoosFor some reason, it's easier for me to spot a white homo than an Asian one - and so that's the one I end up cruising."

And then there's the extreme case.

Ms L, a British lesbian, who's had two relationships with Chinese women, but never with a white chick, says she wouldn't know what to do if she had to change.

"I'm probably a bit scared of western lesbians now," she jokes.

Perhaps it's a question of culture. Some potato queens say they prefer white dykes because they are more adventurous.

Says Ms P: "Actually I tend towards being a potato queen/king just because I find that most Asians tend to be more sheltered and conservative. I went out with a girl I knew in school [from Singapore] and we went out for quite a while. Crazy in love bit aside, it just got more and more stifling, and she started thinking I was weird for always wanting to leave and I just hated how she didn't want to leave Singapore. Fair enough, not ALL Asians are like that, but... there's just something about them that doesn't challenge me enough; almost as though they don't share the same excitement of being alive I have sometimes.

"I'm trying not to make sweeping statements, but I do feel that people of the western culture are more stimulating."

Perhaps dating cross-culture also makes life simpler. If you don't speak the same language it's really hard to argue. You spend more time making love than making conversation. That's great if you want passion, but not so useful if you want a long-term relationship.

Commitment phobes will recognise the signs - a tendency to chase girls that are hot but not good relationship material. What kind of lasting partnership can you have with someone where conversation is restricted to "hello", "sorry", and "let me help you off with that"?

Thriller novelist and gay essayist John F Rooney says we shouldn't think too hard about the reasons behind this phenomenon.

"Love makes the world go round, and, in the end love will conquer all," he says. "The real rice queen is a lover, plain and simple."

Reader's Comments

1. 2007-06-29 21:20  
woah, well said. love it. i think im more of a ricesucker. lol.
2. 2007-06-29 21:27  
I'm just overwhelmingly curious... perhaps the ladies can answer this one... the Vast majority of, ahem, white gentlemen that like asian guys are rather mature, as a cursory look around at the sea of white-haired people here and elsewhere online [who are almost all without exception looking for a 20 - 25yo guy] easily shows...

...does such an age gap divide work for ladies as well? Are there vast armies of menopausal women chasing barely-out-of-their-teens ladies, across the racial divide?

Or is that divide only a White-Man-Chasing-Asian-Boy thing?

A curious topic indeed...
Comment #3 was deleted by its author
4. 2007-06-29 21:50  
Lol....oh Dinah, your article is simply kickass! Had me laughing to no end. Anyway, i think the physique is often THE deciding factor in physical attraction, whether to a Shimizu or a Jolie (actually, a Sharleen Spiteri might be a betta choice...), coupled with a pretty face of cos. Which is to say that, if it does it for someone in the gorgeous dept, it will do it beyond the blue eyes, the yellow skin, or that redhead.
5. 2007-06-29 21:51  
The more worrying thing is that labels such as "rice queen" and "potato queen" and the preferences they describe are racist in nature. They reduce people into qualities the food items supposedly represent. Yet, Gardner talks about them as if they were the most natural thing in the world. :(
6. 2007-06-29 22:52  
Hey I love your article :-)

But not sure it;s all the "rice queens" that are so proud to crown themselves rice queens. I mean I dont hide it but that "term"...is...grrr. Guess here it has a bad reputation. A reputation of these white guys only searching for a small asian smooth ass 0_o is it that to be rice queen? Guess I prefer to be an asian lover then hehe. Culture and men for sure! :-)

cheers!

Michel, Canada
Comment #7 was deleted by its author
8. 2007-06-29 23:28  
As with vercoda, I have to throw in my speculation that the article is too superficial in its views on the male side. Let me be blunt with this: I have NEVER heard of Asians who have derided whites simply because they are white; it is usually contexualized, whether it is someone who has had a sour history of dating whites, or it's confined only to a disgust for old white men (thus the door is open to young and attractive whites). Everytime I found someone who wasn't attracted to whites, there would be a simple, "I don't see what's so special about them." If there were ever a glimpse of hate, it would be because the Asian was hated first (which is not surprising given international power relations).

This is completely different from whatever I've heard from whites where there is a reckless disdain for Asians. "I'm so horny I could f*ck an Asian," "haha I can never take an asian top seriously," "what? an asian top? now thats an oxymoron!" "asian thing doesnt even resemble a man." Further, if you look at porn at all, the Asian is nearly consistently labeled with 'boy' and connotations of femininity where the focus is only on the ass (connoting a bottom). "yo this is one of the best looking asian boys i've ever ssen .... Nice ass and piece too," "I'd like to stab that China boy myself, where do I sign up!?" "nothing hotter than a beautiful asian boy getting it from a great top," "I love seeing a hot asian ass getting plowed." It is to such an extreme that Asians have begun to celebrate not their stereotypical defiance of age, but their label as a boy (the "Everyone loves an Asian Boy" t-shirt) which is an entirely different playing field (of course a man can defy age as well). Though I haven't looked at it, I would quickly side with vercoda's observation that there is an extreme age gap between white men and Asian men. The question is: Why? Yes, I'm biased in not asking why an Asian would ever find old white men attractive (desperation? I've heard of money as an excuse), but I'd be more concerned about what image is attached to Asians given the power balance.

I think that racial preference is very dependent upon what a person emphasizes and balances (e.g., face, build, package, etc.), but it is not permanent at all. I believe racial preference is strongly environment-induced, whether by Hollywood's and A&F's open hatred toward Asian males or the personality connotations ascribed to different races; but, as is the environment, I think racial preference is very malleable. To improve her examination, I think the author would find it useful to better examine her quote from Jockie and how 'white' is internationalized. (Looking into the history of whites [majority male because of armies] colonizing Asia would be useful.)
9. 2007-06-29 23:54  
A note to Ms P:

Not everyone has to show their 'excitement of being alive' by scattering themselves all over the place. There are subtle shades of excitement in being that you're probably blind to. Good luck with the hectic life.
10. 2007-06-30 01:50  
i was gonna say something to Ms. P - cam_obs seemed to have taken words directly out of my mouth! well done, girl!

11. 2007-06-30 02:11  
Why I'm a total rice queen:-

1) look at the above picture of shimizu and angie. shimizu has the 'attitude' going down pat, even though she's not forcing the look. its the eyes i tell ya. beautiful almond shaped eyes are like fine carvings made from the deft hands of craftsmen. bundled together with strong cheekbones, delicate facial features and dark flowing hair... fierceness.

2) i dig the natural-looking tan.

3) i appreciate most asian moral values and sensibilties. i find people embedded with these values reliable, capable and attractive.

i dont think asian women are any less stimulating. if you have enough substance (not the chemical kind) and stay long enough to penetrate through the 'perceived' conservativeness, there is lots of spice and everything nice. aren't asians the inventors of tom yum, chilli padi, mala steamboat and wasabi after all?

to views about this article being racist, i think it was just having some fun and not being too serious about lesbian (or gay) birds and the bees issues (or birds & birds?).

stereotypical, well maybe, but not exactly racist as nobody is harmed, i think, ...

except for the eg. white girl who loves another white girl who loves an azn girl...

and except for the ____ girl who wants to buy asience shampoo for her hair to look like zhang ziyi's. lol


more reasons?: maggie q, jeon ji hyun, shu qi, isabella leong and whoever else who rocks your socks.

and because my girlfriend is tomyum goong personified. i don't think she's offended.

8)
12. 2007-06-30 04:45  
Just one comment...not all asians have problems with speaking english! *winks*
13. 2007-06-30 06:08  
Can't explain it, to me wester girls are beautiful, but eastern girls are *hot* ;-)
14. 2007-06-30 07:11  
I was just blogging about this the other day! i'm going out with a white chick for the first time and for some reason she loves that I'm Asian. Of course, that is not the only reason but she initially "added" me because I'm Asian and she thinks Asian's are hot. Which is ridiculous to generalize a race but who am I to complain hey? I bagged the hottest white chick in town! ;)

Tersh

skybambi.blogspot.com - "Are Asians the new black"
15. 2007-06-30 07:12  
P.s Angelina Jolie, Hands down! - Only because it seems to me that she is more sensual and sexual than Ol' Jen.
16. 2007-06-30 08:21  
It seems like the black-asian men segment is clearly missing, although not common but there is a small group of black men that like Asian men and vise versa. Me being mixed African American and white could be called a rice queen but I don't prefer those titles rice or potatoe queen. Sure I've been with Asians, but mostly because they wanted to see what a black guy is packin' they still prefer white men. The segment of black-asian men are very small but its there.
17. 2007-06-30 09:13  
I dig Angelina Jolie!!
but still pretty much rice queen at heart..
18. 2007-06-30 09:14  
yaoooo,,
thats a crapy one!
Comment #19 was deleted by its author
20. 2007-06-30 09:52  
Be it rice or potato, it's the inner beauty that counts. However, can i have Kaya Toast? keke
Comment #21 was deleted by its author
22. 2007-06-30 10:28  
ronron
rather odd comment from someone who posts naked headless photos of their body on their fridae profile.... it's whats inside that matters is it?
Comment #23 was deleted by its author
24. 2007-06-30 11:09  
Rice or potato queens it does not really matter because their inner beauty is more important. However, all of us have a set of preferences which differs from everyone. And all the time, it's about the connection of emotions between two people.

Well, I'd go for Jolie ... ;p

On the other hand, I'm intrigued with Asians but would love to try it out with a potato queen.
25. 2007-06-30 16:46  
taste...ehhh nothing much to say on preference. but love is always free of rationals...it can be , Jolie at the right time ,right place so do shimizu :p
26. 2007-06-30 16:49  
Having preferences is a natural thing. Being extreme about one's preferences is another thing altogether. If age is just a number for some, then isn't race just about colour? After all, if it's the total package we're after, isn't the REAL stuff beneath the surface? :-)
27. 2007-06-30 17:27  
Gosh... some rather cranky comments in here about this topic being raised...

I'd like to think that Fridae does its best to raise gender and sexuality issues from around the world - not 'just' the Asia basin - but, while it's very important to be aware of such issues, and how other people are affected in such ways, not every article can be high-brow moralising and table-thumping.

After all, if Fridae only ever covered the plight of black overweight one-legged Estonian lesbian farmers, I, for one, wouldn't read these.

So, people, relax a little! For authors to use sweeping generalisations and catch-all labels is totally fine. In the greater scale of things, getting huffy because someone Dares to use terms such as Rice Queen isn't worth a lot of energy.

Especially compared to the plight of black overweight one-legged Estonian lesbian farmers...
28. 2007-06-30 20:21  
There are people who detest such stereotyping because they think they are a lot more sophisticated than that and here you seem happy to introduce such labels to your people.
29. 2007-06-30 20:58  
Face it - whoever you are, whatever you do, regardless of race, creed, age or sex, you ARE a label. Whether you're That Fat Kid, or That Prick, or That Skinny Guy, or ABC1 Consumer, or Whatever, you Already have all kinds of labels attached to you - by your friends, enemies, companies, banks, government - you name it, you're labelled it.

The fact is, you're already dragging around a wide range of labels, attached to you like invisible anchors, yet which are very tangible little data fields on a spreadsheet somewhere, or a split-second code that people that know you - or don't know you - immediately flicker across their mind when you pop into view/thought.

So, the fact that there are Further labels connected with the gay world is just one more extension of the labelling you're already processed under by so many other people every day of your life.

Deal with it! Why doesn't everyone get mad about the crisis in Darfur, or something with real meaning?
30. 2007-07-01 00:22  
What about rice and chocolate queens (Asian and Black couples)? Or what about rice and beans queens (Asian and Latin couples)? How about an article on those as well...
It may not be known, but many do exhist!
31. 2007-07-01 02:08  
I don't see what the fuss is about regarding labels. I'll agree with Vercoda, that we all attach labels and most likely have some sort of label attached to us now. We do it in all aspects of our lives, work, personal, etc. Personally I love labels, but anyone who knows me knows that I'm not exactly a very pollitcally correct person.
So someone calls you a rice queen, potato queen, or whatever kind of queen you would fall under. Face it, by definition that's probably what you are. I think it's funny when people say that they don't have a label or are beyond labels...yeah, whatever!
I guess you can call me a potato queen but I more specifically like Germanic guys. Just about every guy I've been with d in the last 8 years has been at least half German. I wonder what kind of queen that makes me? ;)
Jenny or Angela? NEITHER!!! I don't do girls. ;)
Comment #32 was deleted by its author
Comment #33 was deleted by its author
34. 2007-07-01 13:36  
The arguments thing is BS... arguments are more likely to happen when there is a chance of misunderstanding. But both sides are also more accustomed to being flexible because of the various cultural differences.

I do hate white guys expecting me to behave like a white guy (local asians dont seem to be as bad), so cross-cultural dating seems to introduce less judgemental feelings. Perhaps the other potatoes dont realise rice is hot until they missed out already.

The whole rice queen thing is really complicated and includes attitudes, familiarity, a need for variety/stimulation and really delicious physical attributes. But eventually its not easy to say whether we develop our tastes from our first experiences or from a natural inclination. I think its a bit of both, and it was for me anyway. So if you read this Tze, you might be responsible for creating a rice queen. Mmmmm, nice memories.

But preferences arent going to change, so at least there is enough rice and potato that we can still find our lovers, I hope!!
Comment #35 was deleted by its author
36. 2007-07-02 14:00  
Well, i, for one, am what you wld call a 'potato queen' - as i find the white women's poise & worldliness definately sexy ;>...bt then again, neither am i blind to the beauty of asian gals either, esp chinese/ japanese... their lithe, slender form & smooth complexion...mmmm.. , so where does that leave me? Maybe a 'sometimes rice, sometimes potato' queen dyke =p Seriously though, i think it wld be foolish to choose a potential soulmate/ lover over skin color preferences- have you ever thought of what you're potentially missing on the other side of the grass? ;>

One more thing: Is it just me, or does any of you gals find Charlize Theron very hot & exuding 10x more gaydar than Jolie + Shimizu put together?
37. 2007-07-02 16:52  
I prefer to bed with my love rather than bedding any other people whom i do not love...
Hahahahaz..
38. 2007-07-03 12:27  
I'll make my 2 cents as much as its worth - GIVE ME A HAPA (EURASIAN) WOMAN ANYTIME! The best of both the East and the West.
39. 2007-07-03 17:45  
Labels labels labels! We cant live without them. Rice and potato? Dont they sound racist? We live in a global world. Why cant we simply say i like him or her just cos he is he or she is she and not cos he is american/potato or she is chinese/rice. Preferences for another race is just merely skin deep. In the end, its not the race that matters but the inside.
40. 2007-07-04 03:24  
all this discussion of sexual racism and labels is profoundly amusing.

i am truly at a loss to understand how my (or any other person's) attractions, no matter how they are based, are a form or racism unless i advocate that others should/must adopt the same basis for attraction or set up requirements governing "acceptable" attractions for others. do i really do that if i am mainly or only attracted to asians (or any other group)? i think not.

similarly, in as much as labels are useful in categorizing a generally known and accepted type of attraction (ie heterosexual, etc.), i do not understand how the terms used in the article promote, support or otherwise provoke racism. does the term "rice queen" imply that i will discriminate against non-asians in terms of employment, service, friendship or in any way other than my personal sexual attraction? am i really discriminating or promoting hate? am i implying i think these groups of people are lesser than me? i think not. it merely indicates that my attractions are not in those areas, either naturally (ie females) or by choice (ie preferring someone close to my height).

rascism implies hate...and i don't see how my personal attractions or those of anyone else promote discrimination and hate among others. my attractions limit me, not others. one can reasonable argue that a non-asian who "digs" me is limited in what type of relationship he and i can develop. but his rights are not violated...unless the UN Human Rights Commission has determined that dating/sleeping with me is a basic human right!

just because a term "sounds racist," it doesn't automatically make it racist. like people, language is more than "skin deep."

lastly, just wanted to say it's nice to see articles from/about the various groups in our the LGBT world. and it's even nicer to see people engaging in debate on these issues. thanks fridae!!

now, enough jabber jabber from me. ;-)
41. 2007-07-04 13:37  
Glad there's news that grapple the other half of glbt gender.

Nod to fact that a funny label outta bring out the lighter sides of ourselves, laugh & be merry, y'all.

Be it what ingredient label. Buffetqueen rule perhaps? Yum yum!
42. 2007-07-05 01:51  
Ultimately, as long as I'm getting my carbohydrates, I'm happy. What matters is that it fills you up isn't it? ;p
43. 2007-07-11 13:17  
funny how there are rice queens, potato queens and sticky rice, but howabout whites that go for whites? mashed potato?
44. 2007-07-11 18:01  
Interesting topic....I'm rather shocked at myself for never having considered such a topic of dicussion before. I shall certianly bring this to hearty discussion to the next round table of drinks I find myself attending with a flock of fellow queers.

Thanks for thinking of it, Fridae!

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