[PDLM]

This phrase is used all over the place. I'm sure I remember in my younger years various relatives & friends who had served in the British diplomatic service in colonial times using the term quite a lot to refer to new postings from "home" who hadn't yet had time to get adjusted to the local way of doing things. It wasn't meant in any particularly offensive way then (and it certainly didn't have any racial connotation since these were all white British diplomats). I'm sure I must have used the term that way myself here at some point in the last decade to describe someone who asks questions like "what's an Octopus card" or "do I tip the taxi driver".

I get the impression that the term's usage in the US to refer to recent Asian immigrants is somewhat different.