The slightly racist joke

Months ago, I made a slightly racist joke. It was one of those jokes about Time. Usually at a lion dance we arrive at a certain time, 15 minutes before the dance is supposed to start, and we end up waiting for 30-40 after that time when the dance actually starts. At this point someone will joke that we are running on China Time. I have discovered that this joke applies to all ethnic groups except perhaps the Japanese, Germans, and since they are the ones that made the clocks, probably the Swiss.
At this dance a friend, a Si Hing, was visiting from South Carolina, or New York, or whatever place he had now done business. He was looking bored. So I decided to give him some shit so that he would cease to look bored. He is Vietnamese. And it turns out this was a Vietnamese wedding. And so I made the time joke. Except I was overheard, and probably the guy that over heard me did not know I was talking to someone Vietnamese. And he definitely didn't realize there was a decade long history between us, where my nickname was actually Bak Gwai.

In fact, I can't even say, "oh it's okay I'm half Asian" because Chinese and Vietnamese are not the same and I had forgotten that there is actually some tension and sensitivity there, especially in regards to all the implications of a "time" joke.
It pops into my head like bad Karma every once in a while.
For instance I was reading a book where the boy was washing bowls with ash and Noah asked me why. The only reason why I knew that's what he was doing was because I read one of Thich Nhat Hanh's books where he talked about washing bowls with ash as a boy. Which made me think of Vietnam. Which made me think of my Vietnamese joke from months ago.

Although the intention of the joke was not malice, the result probably caused some pain. Definitely to the guy who overheard, and maybe even to the guy I was telling the joke too, whether he would admit to it or not.

It reminds me of that Sufi three gates of speech.
1. Is it true?
Actually it wasn't because the guy who overheard me was telling me that we were starting right then.
2. Is it necessary?
Absolutely not. I was just trying to make my friend not bored. But boredom never killed anyone. He had his phone. Besides, meditation is always a good think to practice at times like that. I should have done that instead.
3. Is it kind?
Absolutely not. Again though what I intended was to make someone feel more welcome, I awkwardly ostracized two people.

So when Noah asked me to tell him a Nian story, which he usually does after we read a book and turn out the light, my story went like this.

"Once upon a time there was a Nian who made fun of everyone. He made fun of slow people saying they ran so slow they were always late to everything. He made fun of fast people saying they are so fast that they must put all their energy into their feet and probably are not too smart. He said all these jokes all the time and spread them throughout the world, and everyone laughed at them because they were afraid of the Nian.
Then he went to the Big Fat Buddha and started making fun of his weight, saying that he was so fat how could he be enLIGHTened.
The Buddha laughed anyway but it was a laugh of truth. He asked the Nian why did he fill everyone's ears with such mean things? Was it because he was empty inside?
The Nian suddenly understood that he wanted to make people laugh, but that he was doing so in a way that hurt them. So from then on all the jokes the Nian told were nice jokes that were also funny."

Noah was snoring before I finished the story.