Home›Forums›General Discussion›Weird Cultural Differences
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March 8, 2012 at 12:16 pm #17832thevinsterMember
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 : )
March 9, 2012 at 1:51 am #17835EricParticipantpaying for plastic bags is normal in a lot of countries now.
March 12, 2012 at 9:50 am #17859Rick in ChinaParticipantI 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 ><
March 12, 2012 at 1:24 pm #17860RayParticipantWeird Cultural Diff. # 1223: Say it to my face, not my back as I walk past.
March 18, 2012 at 7:06 pm #17931BrendanModeratorOkay, 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.
March 18, 2012 at 8:48 pm #17933VincentParticipantHong 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!
March 19, 2012 at 1:31 am #17936BrendanModeratorQuote: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!
March 19, 2012 at 5:45 am #17940RayParticipantWeird cultural diff. # 5661:
Strangers on street: “Helloooooo!”
Me: “Hi”
Strangers: “Ha ha!”
Me: (thinking) “Well, I know better next time”
March 19, 2012 at 5:50 am #17941Chris ZiichModeratorWeather 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
March 19, 2012 at 6:33 am #17945DanielleParticipantsaw 2 umbrellas yesterday… it has begun.
March 19, 2012 at 7:02 am #17946BrendanModeratorLaowai Umbrella stand… It’s a winner.
March 19, 2012 at 7:04 am #17947linka999ParticipantLove 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~
🙂
March 19, 2012 at 7:11 am #17949linka999Participanttalking 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”.
March 19, 2012 at 8:48 am #17955EricParticipantin 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.
March 20, 2012 at 1:51 am #17965Rick in ChinaParticipantIt used to be the same in Europe with pale skin, umbrellas/etc..China just behind the times.
March 20, 2012 at 3:40 am #17966BrendanModeratorQuote: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.
March 20, 2012 at 11:20 am #17981GAVVIEParticipant@ Brendan,
Actually it was not A joker.There were a few.The ‘dude’ named Jesus has millions of followers with good reason I think.
March 20, 2012 at 2:43 pm #17988BrendanModeratorQuote:@ 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. 😉
March 20, 2012 at 3:12 pm #17990JerrySParticipantMay gAwd bless the 14th+ revisions of the holy book…
March 20, 2012 at 3:18 pm #17991VincentParticipantQuote:The ‘dude’ named Jesus has millions of followers with good reason I think.Millions? According to his Twitter profile he only has 456269 left…
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