When you think Asian, you think...

[Ban my account ffs!]

It always intrigued me the way my friends from England would give me weird looks when I'd start talking about "Asians" and always related it mostly to northeast Asia (Chinese, Korean, Japanese)

I think this is simply because in America most immigrants from Asia have come from that area traditionally, with the heavy Korean, Chinese, and Japanese influences in many American cities.

At the same time, Indians don't really ever seem to be classified as Asians here.. but rather simply as Indians.

How about for you?

What is "Asian" for you?  What is "Asian cuisine" in your mind?

It'll be interesting to see what stereotypes show up from various places.

[Keystone Phil]

Most people think "Northeast" but this poll is exactly why I use the term "Oriental." The term "Asian" is far too broad. Of course, I end up getting bashed for using an "offensive" term. 

[Torie]

From Pakistan to North Korea/Japan. Folks living from Afghanistan/Iran and on west, or in the Russian part of Asia, are not Asian.

[Bacon King]

options 1 and 2, generally, unless otherwise specified.

[paul718]

NE and SE Asian.

I refer to South Asians as "Indian", and I don't know what I would refer to West Asians as.

[Holmes]

The asians at my university.

[The Ex-Factor]

Like the OP, Asia is basically China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam to me, with Mongolia and the rest of Southeast Asia thrown in for good measure. Indians are just simply Indians, although if I meet a Pakistani I refer to it as "South Asia" as to not offend their sensibilities.

All the stans, the Middle East, whatever, they're their own region. Not real Asians! AINOs?

[Rowan]

The ones with the squinty eyes.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

China, Vietnam, etc.

[Eraserhead]

Option 1, just like any true American.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Options 1 and 2. Basically all the Mongolic people.

Indians and Arabs are part of the white ethnic groups.

[Rowan]

Indians and Arabs are part of the white ethnic groups.

Indians are white? Since when?

[dead0man]

I've progressed from thinking of just number 1 originally.  Then broadening it to include Mongols and people from SE. Asia.  Now I think of 1,2 and 3.  

But "Asian" food is still just Chinese/Japanese...maybe Korean.

Arabs, Turks, Persians I don't think of when I hear somebody say "Asian".




Where do Filipino and Indonesian peoples fit in?

[Verily]

Indians and Arabs are part of the white ethnic groups.

Indians are white? Since when?

Well, they are Caucasian, which is sort of a synonym for "white". Most, anyway. Not the ones in places like Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh who are more closely related to the Burmese and Tibetans, obviously, but they're only a tiny fraction of the Indian population.

And "Caucasian" is a bad way of drawing ethnic distinctions in any case.

[opebo]

Oh man - the one who aren't fat ugly pigs like everyone here in the bad bad place.



So yeah, only Southeast and Northeast Asians.  I don't think of Indians as 'Asians' at all.  (and believe me neither do they or the Asians).

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Option 1, along with option 2 to a much lesser extent. Not surprising though considering those are the people that I see in my everyday life.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

I know someone from Iran who had to do a bit of convincing in order to join some Asian-American association.

[Stampever]

Combo (northeast and southeast).  Even though I can tell the difference when looking at someone from an Asian background, I tend to clump all the Pacific-coastal Asians together.  I refer to the rest by their country (Chinese, Russian, Indian, etc).

[ilikeverin]

NE and S Asians, of course.  And me, Asian on the inside

[opebo]

I know someone from Iran who had to do a bit of convincing in order to join some Asian-American association.

I should hope so - Iranians are not 'Asian'.



Though they're not bad:

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

India and the surrounding areas really oughta be considered their own continent.  (aren't they in some circles?)

[Nhoj]

India and the surrounding areas really oughta be considered their own continent.  (aren't they in some circles?)

it is called the Indian subcontinent.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Generally speaking Asians without a prefix or  prior word is (for me at least) those from Eastern Asia; Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, etc.

[anvi]

If I'm not mistaken, the word Asia comes from ancient Greek.  Homer and
Herodotus used the term to describe Anatolia (Turkey) and Persia (Iran). 
That's partly why such a broad mass of land is labelled even today as Asia
and then classified into so many different regions by Westerners.

But I'm not an ancient Greek.  When I think of Asia, the first thoughts
that come to my mind are of all those beautiful Japanese, Korean and
Chinese girls. 

[ilikeverin]

India and the surrounding areas really oughta be considered their own continent.  (aren't they in some circles?)

They certainly have more of a "continent" claim than Europe, FWIW (they at least have their own tectonic plate), but "subcontinent" is usually preferred.