I’ve a Feeling We’re not in America Anymore
There are so many similarities between Shanghai and the United states that some days you forget that you’re actually half way across the world in a foreign place. One such night I found myself with several others in my friend’s room on a Friday night following a long week of work. We were relaxing, listening to music, and talking. Around 11:30 there was a knock on the bedroom door and in walked four policemen. My mind starts racing; foreigners generally are not bothered unless they do something incredibly stupid and either get deported or sent to jail. I could not think of a single thing that would require such action. In what felt like an eternity, one of the police officers walked over, turned off the music, said something in Chinese, and then all of them walked out.
Chopsticks
Sadly there’s not oh so much to write about chopsticks but since they’re not such a popular thing in America, I figured I’d devote a third of a post to some interesting facts about them.
- Just like etiquette with American utensils, same goes for chopsticks. This means no banging your chopsticks since this is similar to what beggars do. Also, don’t leave your chopsticks sticking straight up in your food since this is similar to incense burning.
- There is a verb in Chinese for using chopsticks.
- To compare chopstick prowess, people will see how many marbles they can pick up with chopsticks and move from one pile to another within a certain amount of time.
- My chopsticking skills have vastly improved since my arrival. I’ve been complimented by several coworkers on my technique.
Interesting Cultural Happenings
I never got around to reading up about China or studying the language before I arrived. Two things I regret. Along the way I’ve learned a little about both and want to pass along to you a few of the interesting things that come with a several thousand year history.
- Writing people’s names in red is a big no-no. It means to wish death upon that person. When I was flying back from the United States I only had a red pen in my bag and had to fill out a form with my name on it. Ended up borrowing someone else's black pen.
- If a man is cheated on by his wife, he will wear a green hat. This is a dying trend since the younger generation is now wearing green hats for fashion.
- Saying thank you and your welcome is generally reserved for people that you don’t really know.
- There are many different dialects in China and many people cannot converse from one dialect to another. Personally, I believe they should be considered different languages all together. I think it is comparable to French, Italian, Spanish, English, etc people speaking together. China ended up as one country instead of a continent and thus it’s dialects instead of languages.
- Dairy is not very common in China. Therefore, almost all dishes do not contain any sort of cheese, butter, milk, etc.
