California restaurant’s comeback shows how outdated, false Asian stereotype of dog-eating persists

By TERRY TANG
Associated Press

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A Thai restaurant in Fresno, California, is back in operation after being wrongfully accused of abusing a dog to turn it into meat. It may be astonishing to some that a claim rooted in a racist stereotype took down a restaurant three years after “Stop Asian Hate” became a rallying cry. But for many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, putting out such a damaging rumor in this day and age is not surprising. Dog-eating is one of several archaic clichés related to Asian food and identity that has persisted in the U.S. for over 150 years. After the pandemic further fueled anti-Asian hostilities, AAPI communities themselves have tried to take control of the narrative that Asian food is “dirty,” “weird” yet “exotic.”