John R wrote:

> You might think you are being smart or funny with your use of

> "rice boy" (with or without the Canadian connection) but

> there are some out here that don't appreciate this racist invective.

I could argue both sides of this until I'm blue in the face.

This now commonly used term originated with the advent of wannabe performance enthusiasts who would commit gawdawful acts against their Civics and Integras in order to declare their uniqueness. Due to both the popularity of this term's use and the ever increasing number of these monstrosities taking to the street, most of the original derogatory nature of this comment has been lost.

It did however start as a term of a slightly derogatory/inflammatory nature. The term doesn't really refer to the driver himself but rather the lineage of his/her automobile.

Early enthusiasts almost exclusively drove Hondas or Acuras. They would typically load them up with a wing so tall you may find birds nesting in it. The wing is very necessary for downforce on these front wheel drive cars you know. Next was the obligatory coffee can exhaust. The bigger the tip, the greater the horsepower. You'll note that I said tip and not catback exhaust system. There's no performance adder better for an engine than a 1" muffler pipe feeding an $800 5" rolled high polished T304 stainless steel exhaust tip. One must also remember that if they actually did open everything up from the cat back that these cars would make 0-60 in a factor of minutes rather than seconds. Got torque?? A body kit is always a great performance adder because anything that adds unecessary weight to the car must make it faster too. Now, if you're really going to play this game right you need to make sure that every bulb, whether it be a marker lamp, headlamp or taillamp is a colour not permitted by the Highway traffic act. The sickly bluish green HID wannabes up front are standard, blue corner markers almost a given and green or purple taillights a must. Many also go out of their way to drill holes in their fenders for the all important (and usually green or blue) side marker lamp. Neon plate frames and underbody lighting are also good for at least 15 HP at the track. The next element in the formula is vitally important. Make sure you drop at least 50% of the current book value of your car (AT LEAST FOLKS), on rims and rubber and while you've got those skins and rims waiting to go on, chuck those Eibachs in there. Better yet, if your rim/rubber combination has left you short on cash just get the mechanic to cut the stock springs OR blow torch 'em till you see the ride height you like. Make sure you don't get those bad boys aligned either. Chicks dig excessive camber and toe dude!! Remember, the lower the better and if you can't go low enough pull out those sway bars and remove those stops. You want every parking lot entrance to be an epic adventure in your high performance machine. Now that you've completely mutilated your suspension, not to mention the chassis dynamics of the car, load in another 700 lbs of audio equipment because your exhaust by itself isn't loud enough the set the alarm off on EVERY parked car you pass. And besides, it's much more important to have power in the car rather than under the hood. Make sure you have at least 6 stickers on the car. Each sticker is good for 5 HP and windshield banners 10HP! Try to make sure your car has a manual tranny because cruising the lots in 1st sounds rad man!! If you are stuck with an auto make sure you leave it in low for speeds below 40 km/h. Your high performance exhaust sounds great so let us ALL appreciate it every chance you get. Now, when people are asking you about your kick ass machine and all the mods you've done make sure you ADD all of the claimed HP values together and add another 10% to this total because you did the work yourself and you are one masterful mo-fo with handtools and craftsmanship like yours has to add up to more HP. Even if you don't have intensive power gaining mods make sure you have at least 3 stickers indicating their pseudo-presence. NOS, TYPE"insert letter here", HKS, K&N and GREDDY are all popular choices and mods you know you're going to commit to once you get those three bank loans and your parents paid off for the money you borrowed for those ULTRA HOT RIMS and RUBBER. Besides, you know that shift supervisor job at the McDonalds you're working at is yours when they recognize the kind of potential a person with a car like the one you drive has.

If you're still not clear on the term, might I suggest a visit to www.riceboypage.com. The owner of the page himself is of Asian descent and is proof positive that this terminology has completely shed its derogatory origins to join the growing list of the new automotive pop culture vernacular.