posted by leanne on February 7, 2009 | 0 comments
Tips You Might Need to Survive China
1. Prepare your own toilet paper. ALWAYS! Say WC instead of toilet or bathroom or restroom, you might stand a better chance.
2. We’re quite pushy. Take it as an exercise to your patience. Try 5pm on a bus.
3. When we greet a friend with 'wa! You put on weight!' It means your life's getting better or nothing's worrying you. Don’t be upset. It has nothing to do with whether you’re overweight or not.
4. Politics is definitely a sensitive topic. It might be a good idea to leave it to a person you know for sure.
5. If you’re lost, try to find a school. Someone definitely can speak some English. English is compulsory in China through primary school to university.
6. Acupuncture, cupping and massage are the best methods to cure arthritis and pains. I’m sure you will enjoy a professional massage. You don’t want to go for the back street ones.
7. Natural herbs are still very popular. Food is the best medicine. We eat everything with legs apart from table. It’s more about the culture rather than suffering from starvation.
8. China is a not meaty or dairy nation. You will miss your steak, bacon, sausage, butter, cheeze, as well as olives, sun dried tomato and French stick. Pizza and pasta are treats. Instead, try some quick stir fried Toufu and vegetables or noodles and soups. They will cure your constipation.
9. It's disgraceful to send your family members to nursing homes. However, it's slowly turning into the only choice due to one child policy. How could we look after four parents when there’re only two of us? If there’s no kid or grandparents.
10. When we smile at you after a question, it means we need time to think or we don't know. We’re not laughing at your question. Yes sometimes means ‘ah?’, which means nothing. We consider not giving an answer is impolite. Therefore, don’t take ‘yes’ too seriously. Choose your moment.
11. Do not swear with anything related to mother. It's the worst you can imagine to offend a Chinese. It's bad enough to say 'how come your mom is so short?'
12. We're from a working nation. We are always on the go. One of our national mottos is Study, Study and Study More (like you say study is a lifelong experience). That’s probably why you see a lot of Asians in labs.
13. When you visit a Chinese family, check whether you need to take your shoes off. Quite often you do. It would be a good idea to wear a pair of nice socks or put a bit baby powder on your feet before hand.
14. If you praise something, for example a scarf, and the Chinese say 'take it'. It is not to make you uncomfortable. It means ‘thank you for your praise and I want you to have it’. Seize your moment. Not a bad thing to have a free souvenir.
15. Chinese are always cooking, like Greek and Italian. The tip is eating slowly otherwise there will be endless food coming out of kitchen until you throw up. It's impolite to leave food bits at the bottom of your bowl.
Regarding #8, vegetarians should note that meat is in many (or even most) vegetable dishes, so if you ask for a veggie dish, you might get something with "only a little" pork in it. And the 蔬菜 section of a menu will have many dishes with meat.Aside from yogurt, which seems to be quite popular, dairy is uncommon. Milk and yogurt sold in plastic bags is normal, though sometimes only whole milk, not skim or reduced fat, is available. Yogurt is considered a drink (in packages with little straws poked through the top), and you use the word 喝 with yogurt even if you eat it with a spoon. I've been told this is not always true in the South, but it's certainly true in Beijing.Cheeses of any kind are rare in Chinese stores, and the ones you do find there are not likely to please a Western cheese lover. Better to find a Western style grocery if you want cheese. There is good Chinese domestically produced cheese, but you don't often see it in Chinese groceries.Given how spicy some Chinese food is, it is surprising that Chinese sausage is mostly very bland, with roughly the flavor of an American hot dog.Chinese pizza is not the same as in other countries. Some restaurants do Western style, but Pizza Hut and many others have adapted pizza for Chinese taste, so the sauce may not be what you expect, and you will find kernels of corn and other odd things as toppings.