Where in the world?: November 2006

Chinese Thanksgiving

So obviously I didn't fly home for the day to celebrate Thanksgiving. Instead some of the other Americans and I got together. We enjoyed a nice meal that was somewhat similar to what you might get at home. Peking duck, pumpkin, beans, etc. Delicious even if not traditional.
And then what Thanksgiving in China is complete without karaoke?!? I had the pleasure of experiencing my first Thanksgiving day karaoke. All in all very awesome.

Did you know...? Part 2

I am learning how to cook Chinese food and here’s what I’ve learned so far… everything is fried and everything contains msg.

I have been served duck head, ‘rubber tube’ – which has to be some sort of intestines, pig’s feet, chicken neck, chicken feet, chicken head, various internal organs, many animals with eyes (evidently they’re tasty), and so many other things I simply didn’t bother to ask the name of. Sometimes it’s best I don’t know because in China it’s rude to not try the dish. So… yum!

Double eyelids are considered beautiful. A small percentage of Chinese have double eyelids and they think it’s pretty, along with large eyes, a thin nose, and white skin.

Lucy Liu (the actress in Charlie’s Angels) is not considered beautiful here. I asked several people and they all say she’s not pretty.

It’s a little weird when people come up to you and say ‘you’re so beautiful, such white skin’. My first instinct may be to defend myself and tell them I’m not sickly. But then of course here’s it’s good to be white so there’s just the awkward moment of denial then a polite thank you. It’s China – so you can’t just accept the compliment without denying it first.

I’ve heard Chinese girls compare themselves to bananas – yellow on the outside but white on the inside.

In Chinese ‘fried squid’ means you’re fired.

Instead of night owl the Chinese say night cat.

The Chinese word for careful is literally 'small heart - xiao xin'.

Did you know...? Part 1

Red is a very lucky color. It’s used in weddings, during labor, infancy, and basically any other time you need luck.

The number 4 is unlucky. The pronunciation of 4 is the same as the pronunciation for death. However, other numbers such as 6, 8 and I think 9 are considered lucky.

Everyone is your ‘sister’ or ‘brother’. This can become quite confusing. For example: I thought I went to visit a Chinese friend’s sister. She kept calling her jiejie, which means older sister in Chinese. Later I come to find out she’s actually her cousin. She just uses sister because it implies a greater familiarity. It’s the same with friends. An older friend is your jiejie or a younger female friend is your meimei. And then you have the same with guys.

The Chinese character for good fortune, fu, is everywhere. However a lot of times you’ll find it’s upside down. At first I thought someone was being mean and put it upside down but there’s actually a reason. Evidently the character for ‘to arrive’ and ‘turn upside down’ have the same pronunciation. So by turning the character for good fortune upside down it means good fortune will arrive.

Don’t wear a green hat or dye your hair green! This means your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse is cheating on you. And everyone will laugh at you.

There are constantly fireworks going off everywhere, although usually the kind that just makes noise but doesn’t light up. These are done at ceremonies, particularly weddings. Since I live in a hotel, I have the “pleasure” of constant fireworks. Luckily people don’t usually get married early in the morning.

My students told me that it is common for parents to forbid their children to date while in the university. However, some said they did it anyways and just didn’t tell their parents. Dating is forbidden because dating takes away from your studies and competition for jobs is very competitive.

Boys and girls aren’t friends in China like they are in the US. My students told me they thought at first I was dating some of the other foreign teachers because I would be seen walking and talking with just them. As it was explained to me, you can be friends with the opposite sex but you usually don’t hang out one on one or people will wonder.

And dating… the majority of Chinese people date with the intention of marriage. They don’t do casual dating. Evidently if you’re dating someone it’s fairly serious.

Halloween

Once upon a time all the foreigners gathered in one bar to celebrate the weird Halloween festival. Luckily they all took taxis so everyone on the bus would not be too shocked.
Costumes... what to do? Then it just hit us, what better costume for Halloween than Yao Ming. And not only Yao Ming but half of Yao Ming. Which is why I spent the evening walking around in a huge pair of pants and Barbara spent the evening walking around in a huge jersey. Here's Yao Ming as one person...