THE restaurateur's comments in the Evening Press (July 14) reminded me of an incident which happened a few years ago.

A small group of close friends, including my son, who had first met at college in Leeds were dining at an Asian restaurant in York.

One of the group was an Asian who had become completely westernised. There was obviously some tension between him and some of the waiters and a fracas developed.

It turned out the waiters were talking about the Asian boy, insulting his family and referring to him as a coconut - brown on the outside but white on the inside - because of his association with his friends.

Some restaurant workers, when walking together in Micklegate, seem sometimes to have an attitude problem.

Reading your articles, including the one on the front page, the implication is that any potential incidents of racist abuse are perceived to be one-way and that is far from reality.

J M Jones,

Main Street,

Shipton-by-Beningbrough.

Updated: 10:57 Thursday, July 21, 2005