[minnesota nice]

Hello!

This is my first post ever on this board after years of lurking. I currently live in Minnesota and having completed my Master's education, have received a job offer in Oklahoma. I have done a lot of research and listened to a lot of advice about life in Oklahoma and much of it sounds good from low cost of living and less busy pace of life.

My question is simple and hopefully, it will not seem ignorant. Are Asian people well tolerated in Oklahoma City? I am Asian from Hong Kong.

I do know there is not a large (or as large of when comparing to other parts of the USA like the East/West or even Midwest) Asian footprint down south but that is not a concern for me. I just hope to interact well with the locals and have a nice time.

Thank You

[linicx]

I never met anyone from China that I did not like. Not all spoke English. Not all were from Oklahoma. The all had one thing in common. They were quiet, kind, patient, and polite. I think their parents would have been very proud.

There isn't anything like good food and good company to bring people together. As someone who once lived and worked in Minneapolis, and lived in the Midwest a good part of my life, I can tell you Oklahoma is a very different life experience from the Native American powwow to Sweet Tea. OK will be the first day of your new journey. Explore it, enjoy it, learn the history, the state and city pride, the sports, and take pictures for your future children.

Ok is a wide state that is nearly 400 miles wide from western Missouri to Eastern Texas. Eastern OK is very different as it is in the foothills of the Ozark Mountain range. It is green and very leafy with large lakes, long rivers, much natural habitat and wildlife, and many miles of shoreline. You can find all types of foods from Native fry bread to BBQ, from Jewish deli to southern grits and black eye peas. You wlll also find upscale cuisine, too. You will also find the two largest cities, OKC and Tulsa, are just as different as Mpls and St. Paul. OK also has some large state and city parks that are awesome.

Welcome to Oklahoma. OK is okay!

[minnesota nice]

Hi linicx,

Thank you for the good advice and nice comments. When making the transition from the North to the South, I look forward to the changes to the food and climate, and potentially, the people. The reason why people is important to me is because my position will involve working with a great number of people.

I wish I could say as many nice things about Minnesota but I don't think I can.

Thank You

[StillwaterTownie]

Oklahoma City has an Asian District, which features a huge Asian food store.

[Annemieke Roell]

Several Asian food stores and some excellent restaurants.

[jfrebel]

Minnesota nice, what do you dislike about minnesota?

I've never been there so I'm just curious.

[Rubi3]

Originally Posted by jfrebel

Minnesota nice, what do you dislike about minnesota?

I've never been there so I'm just curious.

I'm also interested. Several years ago, when I was living in Oklahoma City and had guests visit from Minnesota, they criticized any and everything they saw or experienced about Oklahoma. I think Minnesota Nice will be pleased with the reception given to newcomers in Oklahoma.

[minnesota nice]

Originally Posted by Rubi3

I'm also interested. Several years ago, when I was living in Oklahoma City and had guests visit from Minnesota, they criticized any and everything they saw or experienced about Oklahoma. I think Minnesota Nice will be pleased with the reception given to newcomers in Oklahoma.

Hello!

Thanks for all the help! It is nice to know there are Asian store outlets I can go to when I feel homesick. I like curious people so I am more than happy to explain. Rather than the Minnesota Nice, I experienced the Minnesota Ice. A lot of people experience that, especially if they look foreign. I am from Hong Kong so I look out of place but I am fluent in English.

I will try to explain my feelings without being disrespectful towards my host state (Minnesota) since I am still a visitor (though have lived here for several years). Minnesotans can be very passive aggressive (hence the Minnesota Nice moniker) so people are outwardly friendly, thus to keep up appearances, but are inwardly unwelcoming and often harbor harsh stereotypes against those of different cultures or even different states.

Without being too generalized and this cannot apply this to all the diverse people I have met, I have found that many Minnesotans I have encountered do not welcome strong opinions, equate religion or differing cultures with fanaticism, find it personal to talk about money or housing (yet they can ask you) and often feign their friendliness to fend off outsiders. One must really be censorious when speaking here. Politeness in Minnesota what a pearl is to an oyster: a beautiful secretion around a major irritant. It is the opposite of being accepted. Its purpose is to keep you at arms length and under control.

Many native (meaning not lived elsewhere) Minnesotans have a very high opinion of this state. One should NEVER criticize Minnesota to a Minnesotan. But it is alright for them to criticize other states. I have traveled/lived in other states like CA, NY, NJ and WI and found contrasting experiences. For example, I once got off at the wrong bus stop in Lacrosse, WI, and an older woman gave me a ride in her car back to the correct location. I would never expect that in Minnesota. One time, my car broke down on a highway in St. Paul, MN and ppl started honking at me even though I was already off the road in the grass.

Please take no offense with this but I am being honest. When I told my Minnesotan peers/confidants/neighbors I was considering moving to Oklahoma City for a job offer, they told me I was mad. My professor, for example, lived in Texas but traveled throughout Oklahoma strongly criticized the people of those states. She is a thoroughbred Minnesotan, born/raised/educated here. She criticized the "ugly" landscape because it is flat with few trees, backward/uneducated people, will not accept me if I am not religious, lack of culture, black population = crime (she is white) and the obesity epidemic because ppl supposedly fry a lot/bbq etc. Similar opinions have been intimated to me.

The reason why I believe Minnesotans are unique in this manner is because many people are of Scandinavian heritage which, I believe, emphasizes keeping up appearances but results in gossip. Further, since many people have large families here and friends they grew up with in HS, they do not feel the need to extend their warmth to others. Racism is rampant yet latent here. I do not think I have been affected, to a great extent, by racism but many black people I have talked to, especially from other states do mention the hostility directed towards them.

Again, not all Minnesotans are like this. I have lived in Minnesota longer than any other state I have lived in the USA. I have met a good number of decent, kind Minnesotans. However, the material I wrote above reflects the preponderance of people I have met. I have had the pleasure of working with a great number of people from other states and countries. One of the things I like about people from the Eastern and Southern states I have worked with are their genuineness, friendliness and/or their frankness. These are all traits of honesty which I feel Minnesotans lack. My favorite coworker was actually from Louisiana.

Either way, I look forward to making this endeavor and hope my verbose response does not irritate any one here.

Thank You

[linicx]

Minnesota is a beautiful state. It is a very cold state in the winter. The people - even in big cities - tend to be clannish, stiff-necked, and not terribly welcoming to strangers. This was my experience for nine years; it was not a pleasant time. There is an old saying in Minnesota that sums it up: "Then thousand Swedes running through the weeds chasing one Norweigan."

I would return to NEOK in heartbeat.

I hope MinnesotaNice has the opportunity to tell the woman. "Only half of OK is flat. The other half looks like Minnesota!" .

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by minnesota nice

Hello!

This is my first post ever on this board after years of lurking. I currently live in Minnesota and having completed my Master's education, have received a job offer in Oklahoma. I have done a lot of research and listened to a lot of advice about life in Oklahoma and much of it sounds good from low cost of living and less busy pace of life.

My question is simple and hopefully, it will not seem ignorant. Are Asian people well tolerated in Oklahoma City? I am Asian from Hong Kong.

I do know there is not a large (or as large of when comparing to other parts of the USA like the East/West or even Midwest) Asian footprint down south but that is not a concern for me. I just hope to interact well with the locals and have a nice time.

Thank You

C'mon down!

We'll welcome you with open arms. It will be different culturally, but I think you will like the change. Okies tend to be very open when you meet them but can be a tad harder to break into the inner circle because many Okies grew up here and have some/many of their friends from high school or college. You can make friends through your work and the community/church life.

I say give it a shot. I've lived in every major region except the Midwest and, while I'm certainly biased, I would put Okies against anybody.

Blessings & Welcome to The Sooner State!