If you’ve ever watched Full Metal Jacket, you’ll recall the scene where a Vietnamese hooker tries to sell herself to two American Marines with the line, “Me love you long time.” For the record, if you haven’t seen the film, here’s the scene:

That catchphrase has since become a bit of a sick joke and a well-known slur against Asian women. The problem is, not everyone got the memo.

Up until now, the slogan “Love U Long Time” has been greeting visitors to Southeast Asian eatery Monsoon Poon in Auckland and Wellington. But in the aftermath of Anti-Asian hate crimes in the US, some customers started asking that the derogatory phrase be removed from its entrance. And eventually, co-owners Nicola Richards and Mike Egan caved in.

They went on to explain that the slogan has only been called into question a few times in the 20 years Monsoon Poon has been in business. But according to The Spinoff and Stuff, the restaurant is not new to controversy. Concerns have been posed in the past about its branding, with the name resembling “Poon Monsoon” (slang for female orgasm, according to the ever-useful Urban Dictionary). Richards and Egan, for their part, say it was merely coincidental; just a rhyming consideration.

Back to the “love you long time” conundrum, Monsoon Poon’s owners said that “they have reflected on the use of these words and decided to remove them.” And that’s what matters here. The whole story also goes to show that public sensitivity to issues like cultural appropriation and casual racism has never been more acute. We could almost hear people of the old guard cry foul and say that society has become “too sensitive”, but in fact, it’s not up to them to draw that line.

In the meantime, there’s an easy way to avoid the fallout. If you’re planning to open an ethnic restaurant, consult with the members of that ethnic community and listen to their suggestions. If your motives are as genuine and good as the food you serve (and I’ve heard Monsoon Poon’s is pretty good), you’ll have absolutely nothing to apologise for.