Whitney, or @nitwhit_ney’s, viral TikTok shows a middle-aged white woman shouting at the cashier in a Vietnamese restaurant, allegedly for not having miso soup.
The video, filmed at Pho Saigon in North Austin, Texas, amassed over 76,000 views and 5,460 likes since posting three days ago. The text overlay announces a trigger warning for racism.
Wearing a “Not Today Satan” T-shirt, the white woman yells at both restaurant staff and the TikToker.
“Why are you being so rude right now?,” Whitney asks in the video.
“I ordered it to go and they didn’t get it to go! How do they not fucking understand to go?” the Karen responds, swinging her drink cup.
“You’re spilling all over yourself right now!” another voice in the video responds.
“How bout I spill it on you,” the white woman says, sipping her drink.
The Karen continues to berate the Asian employees who are rushing to correct her order, and argue at the people filming the TikTok, who appear to be defending the employees.
Whitney clarifies the situation in the comment section:
“Context: She came in asking for miso soup at a VIETNAMESE restaurant. The waiter asked her to repeat and she WENT OFF on all the Asian workers.” Miso soup is a Japanese food, and it is possible that the Vietnamese restaurant didn’t have it or they were surprised by the order.
“I understand it looks like we were antagonizing her… I didn’t start to record until she started threatening the employees. She was SCREAMING at them to speak English,” Whitney says.
Most of the 1,066 comments expressed anger at the white woman’s treatment of restaurant staff and supported Whitney and her friend for taking a stand.
“Thank you for standing up to another ‘adult’ who thinks anger and rage are appropriate tools for conflict resolution,” says @ez2luv_ez2h8.
“That’s my favorite restaurant! The staff are always on point and the owner is super sweet, wish I would’ve been there to defend her,” says @atxpoodle.
The Daily Dot reached out to @nitwhit_ney and Pho Saigon for comment.
Editor’s note: Due to a technical error, our original message to this TikToker may not have been delivered.
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