I forgot to post this episode! My apologies for its lateness. Although I’m in Beijing now, this video was my goodbye video to my previous travel destination: Taiyuan. Therefore, I will call this video: “The Forgotten Episode.” Enjoy!
Being an obviously white and foreign person in China offers a distinct and unique experience. Though more and more foreigners are showing up here, particularly in Beijing & Shanghai, China is still vastly occupied by…you guessed it…Chinese people.
My basic yet limited understanding of Mandarin, and the lack of foreigners who speak it, adds an extra twist to the experience. It’s very hard to describe without going into long and complicated stories. And I know your time is precious. So here’s a sample of what I mean: the 3 most common things people say to me. I honestly hear these almost everyday, and often more than once.
1. Ni hui shuo zhongwen ma??!! (You can speak Chinese??!!) Usually this is said with disbelief, admiration, or embarrassment…depending on the situation.
2. Ta ting bu dong. (He doesn’t understand.) This typically follows phrase number 1, because Chinese people like to give me a time-limit to answer their questions, usually between 0.3 - 1.2 seconds. However, 57% of the time, they are right.
3. Hao chi ma? (Is it delicious?) Anytime someone cooks food for you or invites you to a restaurant, you will hear this question. It is frequently paired with “Eat some more.” The unknowing foreigner might feel greatly pressured by this, and will often reply, “Yes.” As a result, many foreigners will start to resemble to shape of the dumplings which they consumed 82 of. To avoid this, it’s important to know how to handle this delicate situation. You must learn every possible way to compliment food, and then use varying degrees of compliments accordingly. “This one is extremely delicious!” That one is very acceptable!” “Please help yourself to this one, it is too delicous for me.” etc. The Chinese are sensitive enough to notice these subtle differences. But be aware that anything you admit to enjoying will be ordered again if portions are running low. So it’s best just to eat, smile, nod, eat, and stop when you are full (and let others know you are full by saying so or by falling out of your seat onto the restaurant floor).