dating in seattle, east-indian population... (live, restaurant, assessment)

[nishira]

i had mentioned in a previous thread that i'm moving to seattle soon.

i'm also a single, white male so at some point, i would hope to start dating out there as well. although not having to be stuck to my preference, i would admit to have a strong preference/desire for finding a serious relationship with someone of east-indian descent.

my understanding is that there is a strong east-indian population in the seattle area and i'm wondering how to go about making introductions and such?

[SeattlitefromNC]

There IS a strong East Indian presence in this area. Unfortunately for you, the East Indian population here is primarily male (due to the draw of IT jobs), and a lot of the men are 1st generation immigrants, so there is more of a cultural divide. There are 2nd generation folks here and there, but not as many (in my experience) as 1st generation folks (who are less likely to date outside of their race).

There are huge communities out on the Eastside. Go to any Indian restaurant and just start chatting folks up! Folks are pretty friendly.

[nishira]

interestingly enough, i would prefer first generation east indian, although i do agree with your assessment that first generation would be less inclined to date outside their race. however, if i was to find that diamond in the rough (so to speak) i think i'd actually blend better w/first generation.

thanks for the advice - much appreciated.

[vw2005]

I have moved to this area recently. My spouse is from India and I am Black. The stares that we have got from Indians make us feel very uncomfortable. Our experience with people from East India here, men or women, have been sadly negative. We encounter many Indians at work and where we live, and my wife or I would say hi and try to strike a casual conversation. While we have made some friends that way and most people are polite, Indians here are very rude and aloof. A friend told me that a lot of East Indians have a fetish about fair skin and skin-lotions that would make the skin fairer for girls are wildly popular in India. Perhaps they don't like black people. Anyway, good luck in your search ;-)

[jenlion]

Uhh... dare we ask WHY you're looking specifically for an Indian woman to marry?? Curious as to how you'd "blend" with them given you say you're white yourself??

[Wishin4sun]

Originally Posted by vw2005

I have moved to this area recently. My spouse is from India and I am Black. The stares that we have got from Indians make us feel very uncomfortable. Our experience with people from East India here, men or women, have been sadly negative. We encounter many Indians at work and where we live, and my wife or I would say hi and try to strike a casual conversation. While we have made some friends that way and most people are polite, Indians here are very rude and aloof. A friend told me that a lot of East Indians have a fetish about fair skin and skin-lotions that would make the skin fairer for girls are wildly popular in India. Perhaps they don't like black people. Anyway, good luck in your search ;-)

Washiontonians in general are rude and aloof.

[fastsix]

Originally Posted by vw2005

A friend told me that a lot of East Indians have a fetish about fair skin and skin-lotions that would make the skin fairer for girls are wildly popular in India.

Watch Indian TV for an hour and you'll see several commercials for these products. This one isn't in English, but I bet you can still get the main point of it.


YouTube - Fair & Lovely Ad - India

[jenlion]

Oh man, that's so sad.

I was in China and the girls at the factory there kept saying how beautiful I was (I'm pretty fair, jury is out on lovely, given my lack of stilettos). It's ironic because here they'd be the gorgeous ones.

Cruel, and sad. Very, very sad.

[seakid]

I quite disagree with this nonsense; I'm Indian and I have enough african-american friends, middle eastern friends of all skin-tones.

[seakid]

It's a matter of perception; it's not just India, it's Pakistan, China, Japan; everybody wants to look attractive; it so happens that lighter complexion is a pathway (so they claim).

I'm Indian, totally fine with my complexion which though is lighter than most indians, but it's probably a malfunction somewhere; in any case, why is somebody's personal desire to look a certain way sad?

All the people who want to be tanned? Is that sad too?

And to add to that, why is someone's personal desire to be friends based on country/religion/color/race wrong? Why can't I cherry pick who I want to be friends with, just as I can choose who I'd like to go out on a date, share a bed at night, or spend my life with?