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Old 07-20-2011, 07:26 PM
 
Location: Willowbend/Houston
13,384 posts, read 25,602,579 times
Reputation: 10580

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Hello OP,

We moved here from LA two years ago. I am of Lebanese descent and my wife is Thai. I gave my thoughts on your questions below:

a) Social life: Here we have as many White & Asian friends here as Indian.. people here seem not just "tolerant" but also "accepting" of cultural and racial differences... am sure the culture is too different down there and lot of racial segregation, but how bad is it ?? particularly in the desirable Plano/Frisco/ Richardson suburbs ?

In my experience, the Dallas area has been very good to us in this regard. I have had no problems making friends of all kinds. Many of our friends are Indian and they seem to like it as well.

One thing I will point out is that (when talking about Indians and Asians) the city of Dallas seems to be less integrated than the suburbs. I would actually highly suggest looking at Richardson or Plano. There are lots and lots of Indians in those cities, but lots of other types of people as well. Irving may be "too Indian" if you want to have friends that arent from India. My wife and I just bought a house in the Russell Creek area Plano. In our neighborhood we have Indian, white native Texan, Chinese, Nigerian, and Korean. We have a church, a synagogue, and a mosque within 3 miles of our house. There is also a Hindu temple on the east side of Plano.


b) Diet: A bigger issue is that we both are vegetarian, though we eat eggs.. maybe "eggetarian" is the right word..hehe.. how easy is it to survive on eggetarian options in Dallas say if we've to eat out everyday for lunch ?

There really isnt a food that you cant find in Dallas somewhere. There arent as many options as LA, but you can find any type of food you are looking for.

c) Religion: We are both Hindus and religious type too.. a bit apprehensive about the aggressive Christian reputation of Texas.. do they teach creationism or bible in public schools there ? any choice is given to students to opt out of such classes ?

They dont teach creationism. Some public schools have bible study as an elective, but its in no way mandatory.

I did spend a couple of days in Dallas after accepting my job offer and found the following:

a) People want to talk to the point unlike in N. Cali where people are friendly and more relaxed.. not rude, but clearly unfriendly and distant... also, was feeling a bit invisible the way people act as if they dont like to notice your presence.

This is just Dallas, but its in no way specific to you being Indian. I personally found the people friendlier in LA. The biggest surprise to us was how unfriendly Dallas was initially. However, what I have learned about Dallasites is that once you get to know them, they are great. They are initially unfriendly, but spend some time with them and they are quite nice.

Dallas is NOT a laid back city. That is something you will have to get used to. People take a lot of pride in appearance here. Im not fond of it, but I dont bow to it either.

b) Younger people with southern accents are surprisingly much nicer & friendly - and have rosy notions both about cali and India/Indians (maybe due to bollywood, etc).

Thats probably a curiosity thing. The younger generation in Texas is curious to know about place far away and they can sometimes rely on images from the media. Ive met people here who have never left the state who have asked me all kinds of questions about Lebanon (when they found out thats my background). Funny thing about that is that Ive never been, it was my grandparents who came!

c) Though there is a huge Indian community in Irving, Texans dont seem friendly towards Indians. The Indian community seems to stick together and cut off from rest of society, either out of fear of being rejected or not willing to move out of comfort zone.

The Indian community in the Dallas area is HUGE! Its one of the largest in the nation and (according to the census) is the fastest growing in the nation. South Asians here are much more visible than they were in LA.

Have a look at the numbers:

Indian American - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Only NYC, the Bay Area, DC, Chicago, and LA have more Indians. And the concentration of Indians here is higher than LA.

The Indian community has their own radio station (104.9 FM and 770 AM), many strip mall, community centers, Bollywood theaters, restaurants for North and South Indian cuisine, etc.

The Indian community does have a tendency to self segregate because there are so many here, that you have that option. But I have many Indian friends who are friends with white, black, hispanic, and whatever.

All in all, I cant see why you would have trouble here. It will take some time to adjust no doubt. But Im confident that you will like it.

 
Old 07-21-2011, 12:05 AM
 
19,495 posts, read 17,734,425 times
Reputation: 17029
Quote:
Originally Posted by movin2dallaz View Post
Me and wife are going to move to Dallas from bay area soon and wondering how it would be for an Indian couple to live in Dallas,TX and raise a family.

We've lived for nearly a decade in the San Francisco Bay Area but I got too good an offer to resist and my wife too seems like landing a nice job, so we both decided to transplant to Dallas for good.

Several issues I want forumnites to comment on:

a) Social life: Here we have as many White & Asian friends here as Indian.. people here seem not just "tolerant" but also "accepting" of cultural and racial differences... am sure the culture is too different down there and lot of racial segregation, but how bad is it ?? particularly in the desirable Plano/Frisco/ Richardson suburbs ?

b) Diet: A bigger issue is that we both are vegetarian, though we eat eggs.. maybe "eggetarian" is the right word..hehe.. how easy is it to survive on eggetarian options in Dallas say if we've to eat out everyday for lunch ?

c) Religion: We are both Hindus and religious type too.. a bit apprehensive about the aggressive Christian reputation of Texas.. do they teach creationism or bible in public schools there ? any choice is given to students to opt out of such classes ?

I did spend a couple of days in Dallas after accepting my job offer and found the following:

a) People want to talk to the point unlike in N. Cali where people are friendly and more relaxed.. not rude, but clearly unfriendly and distant... also, was feeling a bit invisible the way people act as if they dont like to notice your presence.

b) Younger people with southern accents are surprisingly much nicer & friendly - and have rosy notions both about cali and India/Indians (maybe due to bollywood, etc).

c) Though there is a huge Indian community in Irving, Texans dont seem friendly towards Indians. The Indian community seems to stick together and cut off from rest of society, either out of fear of being rejected or not willing to move out of comfort zone.

Its a huge step for us to move out of our racially integrated, comfortable bay area abode, so any honest input is highly appreciated !
With all due respect you seem to be geographically biased and significantly ignorant about DFW. I know you didn't intend this but your post is insulting quite frankly. How in the world can you expect others to judge you as an individual when you have no problem casting wide generalizations about large groups - like Texans?

1. Dallas is an extremely well integrated city. Many of the suburbs are very well integrated too. For reference New York City is much less well integrated.
2. You'll have little trouble vis a vis your vegetarianism.
3. You'll have little to no problem with DFW Christians. My guess is if you give them a chance a few might even become friends. Your kids will not be taught creationism in school. Unless you send them to church linked private schools.
4. Do you think it's at least possible that some Texans know and like Indians and therefore their affinity for Indians didn't germinate from movies?


For the record one of my best friends is Indian. My business partner's wife is Indian as well. Guess what there are a lot of happy Indian folks already here.

Just relax I predict that you and your family will like it here.
 
Old 07-21-2011, 01:11 PM
 
213 posts, read 861,395 times
Reputation: 196
@movin2dallaz: I think most of the non-Indian restaurants will be able to rustle up something vegeterian for you. My friend won't even eat eggs, yet everytime we eat out, they are able to customise some of the dishes to leave out the non-vegeterian stuff. Ofcourse the selection is much more limited in such a scenario but you won't go hungry.
 
Old 07-21-2011, 02:05 PM
 
173 posts, read 400,589 times
Reputation: 233
There are tons of vegetarian restaurant and all places have veggie or healthy options. Dallas is a massive, major US city with people from all over the world. You seem a little uninformed about the city. Like with any city, you can move there and enter a cultural enclave or move to a more socially diverse area. I live in East Dallas and everyone is very laid back. In Uptown it is more like Manhattan. In the burbs, it is family oriented. This is a large city with a variety of people and neighborhoods.
 
Old 03-23-2012, 09:33 AM
 
27 posts, read 86,878 times
Reputation: 34
Place a protractor on the map and there's a reason you'll find a 180 degree diff between TX & CA LOL !! Nothing compares to living in CA. Its not merely a coincidence that most Global concepts find max acceptance there. We visited LA during Spring break last week and it was a visual delight to see ads of Vegan food, Organic Vegan food, etc. Don't see that happening in Texas, ever. I've lived and worked near Sacremento and I can 'feel' the diff. But that doesn't mean Texas is unfriendly. You've had enough inputs from other members on how you can experience similar lifestyles here. So, I won't elaborate. Only wanted to share my thoughts that nothing compares to the true melting pot. In Texas, its more like many cultures co-exist in parallel and happily so. In California, they integrate - Big difference.
 
Old 03-23-2012, 09:37 AM
 
Location: Texas
44,256 posts, read 64,077,267 times
Reputation: 73913
Quote:
Originally Posted by movin2dallaz View Post
Me and wife are going to move to Dallas from bay area soon and wondering how it would be for an Indian couple to live in Dallas,TX and raise a family.

We've lived for nearly a decade in the San Francisco Bay Area but I got too good an offer to resist and my wife too seems like landing a nice job, so we both decided to transplant to Dallas for good.

Several issues I want forumnites to comment on:

a) Social life: Here we have as many White & Asian friends here as Indian.. people here seem not just "tolerant" but also "accepting" of cultural and racial differences... am sure the culture is too different down there and lot of racial segregation, but how bad is it ?? particularly in the desirable Plano/Frisco/ Richardson suburbs ?

b) Diet: A bigger issue is that we both are vegetarian, though we eat eggs.. maybe "eggetarian" is the right word..hehe.. how easy is it to survive on eggetarian options in Dallas say if we've to eat out everyday for lunch ?

c) Religion: We are both Hindus and religious type too.. a bit apprehensive about the aggressive Christian reputation of Texas.. do they teach creationism or bible in public schools there ? any choice is given to students to opt out of such classes ?

I did spend a couple of days in Dallas after accepting my job offer and found the following:

a) People want to talk to the point unlike in N. Cali where people are friendly and more relaxed.. not rude, but clearly unfriendly and distant... also, was feeling a bit invisible the way people act as if they dont like to notice your presence.

b) Younger people with southern accents are surprisingly much nicer & friendly - and have rosy notions both about cali and India/Indians (maybe due to bollywood, etc).

c) Though there is a huge Indian community in Irving, Texans dont seem friendly towards Indians. The Indian community seems to stick together and cut off from rest of society, either out of fear of being rejected or not willing to move out of comfort zone.

Its a huge step for us to move out of our racially integrated, comfortable bay area abode, so any honest input is highly appreciated !
Um. I am Indian. We have lived here for 20+ years.
I have always found Texas more warm, friendly, and welcoming than California (where we lived for 4 years and where we have relatives - Downey, San Jose, Palo Alto, etc).

There are TONS of Indian shops, restaurants, and even a couple of movie theaters. There's even an Indian radio station.

Racially integrated? I have like 2 Indian friends. The rest of my friends are not Indian. My parents have many friends of all races...it seems they only really get together with the Indian ones for pujah or some special occasion.

I think if Indians are sticking with Indians, it's because of the Indians. Not the rest of the city.
 
Old 03-23-2012, 09:38 AM
 
16,235 posts, read 25,085,089 times
Reputation: 27047
It would have to be a very lucrative offer for me to uproot my family from an area where I felt as safe and accepted as you've described. Sometimes money isn't everything. Hope you find your good fit there.
 
Old 03-23-2012, 09:39 AM
 
Location: Texas
44,256 posts, read 64,077,267 times
Reputation: 73913
Quote:
Originally Posted by momwithadot View Post
We visited LA during Spring break last week and it was a visual delight to see ads of Vegan food, Organic Vegan food, etc. Don't see that happening in Texas, ever. .
Are you serious?
We have CSA boxes, we have Whole Foods (never mind that I can get tons of organic at my regular supermarket), we have vegan restaurants...it's a foodie city.
What are you even talking about?
Where the heck do you live?
 
Old 03-23-2012, 10:18 AM
 
27 posts, read 86,878 times
Reputation: 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by stan4 View Post
Are you serious?
We have CSA boxes, we have Whole Foods (never mind that I can get tons of organic at my regular supermarket), we have vegan restaurants...it's a foodie city.
Didn't say they weren't available. Do you see a Vegan / Vegetarian Culture ? Families adopting vegetarianism ? Do you see Vegan ads on grocery trucks? I haven't here. In CA, yes, I did. How many kids eat vegetarian food in TX schools? Birthdays are celebrated in a public school canteen with a "Eat more Chicken" cheer - how pro-vegetarian is that ? I've had pediatricians consistently ask "Vegetarians? Where do you get your proteins from?". I'm sure there are others that don't. But that doesn't mean the doctors I've met are unreal. Its the vibe I receive from this city, and that can't be qualified by statistics. The place either makes you feel welcome, or it doesn't.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stan4 View Post
What are you even talking about?
Where the heck do you live?
What's with the disbelief anyway? Just trying to share some views here. If you've had a different view / experience, that's great.
 
Old 03-23-2012, 11:54 AM
 
Location: Plano, TX
105 posts, read 289,116 times
Reputation: 85
I lived 14 years in the Dallas area, then 18 years in the SF Bay Area, and now am back in Dallas. I've experienced the complete opposite of you since I've moved back (and I'm also Asian) in regards to the friendliness of Dallasites. TBH, the people you are meeting here in Dallas that seem "unfriendly and distant", are probably not originally from Dallas, because to me, the native Texans have by far been the friendliest. It's a good chance the unfriendly ones are from other states, just like California =).

Anyway, welcome to the area and I'm sure you'll see what I mean after some time. Also remember that it goes two ways - if you seem indifferent and unapproachable, then people probably won't approach you.
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