Recently, a new bar has opened in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Australia, with the name LingLing and catch phrase “Brisbane’s home of late night asian”.

I first came across this bar on a Saturday night out with friends. Large red neon lights flickered the name LingLing to me.

“That’s kind of triggering”, I pointed out to my friend, “it reminds of me when kids would call me Ching Ching at school as they'd pull the corners of their eyes. Isn't a term like Ling Ling just another way for racists to circumnavigate social rules that discourage the use of well-known racial slurs like Chink?”

The following day, I went to browse their website.

I found that @linglingsbne is a restaurant where the staff are allowed to ask, “Ordering Sum Ting Small or Sum Ting Not So Small today?”

And customers can respond with “Why not both? I’ll have the Hardcore Asian Prawn, Sucki Sucki, Mi So Horni, Love You Longtime, Wang Da Wong Number, Fook Yu Salt and Pepper Tofu, Happy Ending and the PHO KING CHAMP!”

After conversations to friends and colleagues, we decided to reach out to @LingLingBne. We wanted them to hear us out, so we can explain why their material is so damaging and also offer them a space to learn, to respond and to understand our perspective. We sent an email at the beginning of April, and a follow up at the end of April.

No response…

Instead, we find that @LingLingBne has started promoting their new bar, which is located inside of LingLing's, named "Cindy Chows". 

To take action, we have started this petition.

The recent horrific Atlanta shootings and rise in anti-Asian racism demonstrates an urgency to change the language we use, as language shapes our understanding of the world. 

We have to do better as a community to tackle these prejudices, setting an example for what is acceptable behaviour.

We believe that respecting other culinary cultures can be done by taking the time to understand the history and culture behind them.  

Please sign this petition to ask the owners to change the restaurant name and change the names of menu items.