Asian Dating
This article serves as an introduction into ‘Asian Dating’. To know what ‘Asian Dating’ is, one must first define the two terms that make up this term, namely ‘Asian’, and ‘Dating’. Therefore this article will give a brief discussion of the terms ‘Asian’ and ‘Dating’. When we know the building blocks of our initial research subject, we can then devote our energies to further exploring the subject of ‘Asian Dating’ The Oxford English Dictionary And Thesaurus Gives a definition of dating: ‘To go on a date or regular dates with someone’. Other then specifying the need for another, this description remains rather vague. Luckily, the definition for the noun ‘date’ is not far to be found: ‘a social or romantic occasion’. Dating then becomes (with slight paraphrasing): ‘To go on a social or romantic outing or regular outings with someone’.
This seems to be getting us somewhere. Dating is a social event between—usually—two people, at a specific location, and a specific time, often featuring a romantic component. Somehow this fails to describe the exited, fluttery feeling that you get when you go on this infamous ‘date’—especially if a date should have the distinction of being a first date. With ‘Dating’ accurately described, the next subject of our focus is ‘Asian’. Again, the ODAT, on first impression manages to underwhelm: ‘relating to Asia’. There is a caveat given though: in Britain, the adjective refers mostly to people whose roots can be traced back to the Indian subcontinent, whereas for most of the rest of the world, ‘Asian’ refers to those of far eastern descent. It is interesting that the ancient Greeks first coined the word ‘Asia’.
Although the exact etymology of the word Asia has not yet been agreed upon, the continent has been referred to as such for nigh on four thousand years. Looking at the United Nations geoscheme for Asia, it is interesting to realize that geographic Asia extends beyond what is generally thought of as Asia. Many countries that geographically lay in Southern or Western Asia such as Israel, Georgia, and Cyprus, don’t immediately spring to mind when eating ‘Asian food’, for example. This in itself is exemplary of the fact that Asia is a term coined by others in a time when the world was considerably smaller.
For the ancient Greeks, anything not European or ‘Libyan’ (African) was considered Asian. Now that a frame of reference for the term ‘Asian Dating’ is set, we get to explore what it means. To those who speak the Queen’s English, ‘Asian Dating’ has a different meaning than to most others. Americans will imagine far eastern dating, and most Asians will blink at you, and ask you whether you are referring to Korean, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Arab or other customs.
All of these traditions are distinct, culturally and socio-geographically. Then there are distinctions to be made for ‘Asian Dating’ within the more traditional Asia, or ‘Asian Dating’ among the more open emigrated Asians. This does not take into account the more liberal Asians in Asia, nor the more traditional emigrants. In short, Asian Dating is a complicated subject, but a fun one, and, like most dating, best explored by ‘enjoying a romantic or social outing with someone… of Asian descent’.
