There is a Chinese idiom “to eat bitterness 吃苦.” It means to endure hardship and accept suffering as a part of life. The ability to tolerate and overcome difficulties is seen as a virtue and a badge of honour, and to some it is a fundamental part of the Chinese character. With the spike in anti-Asian racism in 2020 and 2021, Refuse to eat our bitterness, 2021, protests and rejects this age-old attitude. Refuse to accept humiliation and abuse, Karen Tam’s art tells us. Refuse to accept hate. Refuse to be submissive. Spit out the bitterness.