In his Dec. 25 letter, "Questionable slang about Asia," Adrian Goodhand seems to be one of those well-meaning chaps who have taken it upon themselves to be the Guardians of the Feelings of Our Foreign Friends (whether they want it or not!), regarding perceived "racism" in associating Oriental countries with rice.
Indeed, as Goodhand says, the next Japanese one meets might well not laugh at the term "rice rocket." But, then, how often do Japanese people laugh at ANYTHING in English? That aside, readers might like to ask themselves why, for example, "Jap" is considered racist, while "Brit" apparently isn't. As a "Brit" myself, I can assure you that it doesn't worry us in the least. Is that because, I wonder, unlike some peoples, we haven't been taught to be sensitive and always on the lookout for a slight?