Examining the makings of a Rice Queen
The first of many times that I was accused of being a "rice queen" was during one of my introductory trips to Eddy's Bar. Like many newcomers to Shanghai, I soon realized that I had much to learn about this city's gay culture.

After asking my Shanghai friends and doing some research, I was able to get to the bottom of the term (no pun intended). While "rice queen" has been used in gay communities throughout the world for several years now, the term was made famous by Daniel Gawthrop's 2005 book The Rice Queen Diaries: A Memoir. The book is a memoir of a Canadian man who documents and then examines how and why he became a "rice queen."
As Gawthrop discovered, "rice queens" are gays that are really into Asian guys, and in regard to Shanghai, they're as common as baozi.

Although the term is not well-known in mainstream society, you might be familiar with guys having an "Asian fetish" or a case of "yellow fever." While some gentlemen prefer blondes and some prefer brunettes, "rice queens" in Shanghai seek out Chinese guys like they're discounted cooking oil. After seeing some of the finest cuts of meat walking around Nanjing and Huaihai Lu, I had to ask myself, "Am I a big, flaming rice queen?"

I've never considered myself a queen and I don't have special preferences so I wasn't so sold on the idea. However, I had a hard time letting the term go. Like wet underwear, the label "rice queen" seems to stick no matter how much you protest or explain to your friends that you've had other men who were not Asian before. In Shanghai, all of that proved true as I quickly learned. To my friends, both Chinese and foreign, simply liking an Asian man or showing the slightest attraction towards a cute Asian guy automatically makes you a "rice queen."

But what about Chinese guys that like Western men? In addition to the "rice queens," Shanghai has plenty of "potato queens." Just like "rice queens," they search the Internet high and low for their favorite flavor, with the hope of meeting each other in real life at Eddy's or Shanghai Studio. It's not that easy, however. Like retracting magnets, "potato queens" and "rice queens" don't match. In fact, they might even repel each other. So, it's important that potential partners in Shanghai make their wants and desires clear from the beginning. Granted, it's all a bit confusing but just think, you wouldn't want to eat baked potatoes with fried rice, would you?