Weird Cultural Differences

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  • #17832
    Avatar photothevinster
    Member

    I have some to add…these made me cringe when I first saw it in China, but now I’m numb to it:

    -unashamed nose-picking and “one-nostril’snot-rockets” (you know what I’m talking about)

    -dropping bones and food rubbish on the table or floor

    -chewing with an open mouth (I like seafood…not see-food)

    -men trying on/fitting shirts (and on some occasions pants) in the actual store and not in a changing room

    These are silly:

    -paying for plastic bags

    -whiskey + fruit tea concoctions at clubs

    -grocery store/restaurant workers using a microphone + speaker but proceed to yell when you are standing next to him/her

    -the amount of things with animal ears on it

    -lack of deodorant

    And all of the above make me say “Oh my Lady Gaga”, but don’t get me wrong, I love China : )

    #17835
    Avatar photoEric
    Participant

    paying for plastic bags is normal in a lot of countries now.

    #17859
    Avatar photoRick in China
    Participant

    I bought some what looked like hamburger buns at Auchan the other day…

    Only to make some killer burgers, cut them open to toast a little, and find the inside stuffed with sweet red beans – the purplish ones, WTF! Way to fuck up my dinner ><

    #17860
    Avatar photoRay
    Participant

    Weird Cultural Diff. # 1223: Say it to my face, not my back as I walk past.

    #17931
    Avatar photoBrendan
    Moderator

    Okay, as done as this thread is, I want to just have my little vent after having spent the weekend in Hong Kong, and then having the pleasure of the taxi queue (ahem) on exiting the airport in Chengdu.

    So not only does Hong Kong have litter bins across the city clearly separating paper, plastic, and waste, it also has double decker buses (Hello!!), toilets that don’t wreak of piss, an abundance of legit eateries, and wait for it… queues!!! Bowl me over with a big giant ball made of ‘no smoking’ stickers!!

    I get out of the (smoke plumed) airport and fall in line (disaray) for the taxi behind some 200 odd people in front of me. This whole charade always hits home the ground Chengdu has yet to make, it’s just a painful reminder each time. People in uniforms are waving batons, but there might be more progress if they cracked each other on the head with them! Meanwhile I count some 40 odd queue jumpers that NO ONE says a word to. I decided to let it slide tonight for the spectacle, but the notion that no one gives a shit really bothers me. If you’re a nice guy, keeping your calm, you can expect several pairs of feet to walk right the way past you, or even over you, dependent on the situation.

    Back to it I guess.

    #17933
    Avatar photoVincent
    Participant

    Hong Kong is a completely different world. It’s just a western city full of well mannared Asian people.

    I love Chengdu way more though. Makes me feel special!

    #17936
    Avatar photoBrendan
    Moderator
    Quote:
    I love Chengdu way more though. Makes me feel special!

    You are special Vincent. Very special.

    I love Chengdu for many of the reasons that it isn’t on a parallel with cities like Hong Kong, and it does now feel like home enough that I miss it when I’m away. I definitely need to exit frequently though, and it’s that initial return that’s always a reminder of why.

    This morning all is good, except for the 4 hours sleep I’m running on!

    #17940
    Avatar photoRay
    Participant

    Weird cultural diff. # 5661:

    Strangers on street: “Helloooooo!”

    Me: “Hi”

    Strangers: “Ha ha!”

    Me: (thinking) “Well, I know better next time”

    #17941
    Avatar photoChris Ziich
    Moderator

    Weather has been beautiful this week with lots of sun.

    But the local women seem to hate the sun more than rain. I saw a lady walking down the street with both hands over her face to block the sun. Soon the umbrellas will come out.

    Here, white skin is beautiful rather than pale and sickly

    #17945
    Avatar photoDanielle
    Participant

    saw 2 umbrellas yesterday… it has begun.

    #17946
    Avatar photoBrendan
    Moderator

    Laowai Umbrella stand… It’s a winner.

    #17947
    Avatar photolinka999
    Participant

    Love sunshine, i already have summer dress few days ago, when i go to a shop take my bake tools i wear things with bare calf .

    The lady in the shop ask me “are you cold?” not at all, saw lot’s of women still wear winter coat, that make me feel funny.

    All my summer cloth already been ironing, all shoes for summer had been ready~

    🙂

    #17949
    Avatar photolinka999
    Participant

    talking about say hi to laowai.

    few years ago i was go to Dujiangyan with a foreigner , there have a group of Chinese pass us, one Chinese women she shout loudly to my friend “I LOVE YOU !”, my friend say “I LOVE YOU TOO” back to her with red face!

    Ha ha, i guess that lady want to say hi to my friend, but she don’t know how to say, so that’s how she say “hi”.

    #17955
    Avatar photoEric
    Participant

    in asia, to be more pale means to be richer and more beautiful. if you’re dark, then it means that you must work outside a lot = poor.

    it’s different in western culture where people PAY to get tanned. for us, to be tanned is to seem healthier, whereas pale = sickly.

    #17965
    Avatar photoRick in China
    Participant

    It used to be the same in Europe with pale skin, umbrellas/etc..China just behind the times.

    #17966
    Avatar photoBrendan
    Moderator
    Quote:
    It used to be the same in Europe with pale skin, umbrellas/etc..

    The Romans were doing it around the same time a joker was writing a book about a dude named Jesus.

    #17981
    Avatar photoGAVVIE
    Participant

    @ Brendan,

    Actually it was not A joker.There were a few.The ‘dude’ named Jesus has millions of followers with good reason I think.

    #17988
    Avatar photoBrendan
    Moderator
    Quote:
    @ Brendan,

    Actually it was not A joker.There were a few.The ‘dude’ named Jesus has millions of followers with good reason I think.

    Well I was assuming they took turns. Gawd bless ya Gavvie. 😉

    #17990
    Avatar photoJerryS
    Participant

    May gAwd bless the 14th+ revisions of the holy book…

    #17991
    Avatar photoVincent
    Participant
    Quote:
    The ‘dude’ named Jesus has millions of followers with good reason I think.

    Millions? According to his Twitter profile he only has 456269 left…

Viewing 20 posts - 161 through 180 (of 264 total)
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