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A Glimpse Into China
My son is learning Chinese at college and just spent 10 summer weeks in China. 8 weeks was for university credit, 2 extra weeks was spent after having fallen in love with a Chinese student he met there. He spent the extra two weeks with the family of his girlfriend.
He ate chicken feet, cow hooves, dog, chicken cartlidge, etc. while there. The chinese go out to Korean restaurants like we go to Italian restaurants. They dislike Taiwan and Japanese. My son had to explain why he had a Tawianese accent (because his professor was from Tawian.) They think that Americans dislike them but apparently they had no problem with Americans given that my son was there drinking with them.
They drink hard, smoke cigarettes. My son was taken with the men to drink and had to explain that his girlfriend didn't want him to smoke - however he had no problem downing lots of booze with the men. The family of his girlfriend lived in a modern apartment and the family owns a small magazine company with a huge Ryobi printer (maybe 12 feet wide).
The daughter (my son's love) was taking Opera - I almost fell over backward when my son handed me a DVD. She sang in German and is going to London to complete her training. She is the real thing - serious Opera just like in NYC. It is a 2 year Masters program in England that is but she insists to the university that she will complete it in a year.
She has been speaking with my son twice a day and wants to know why he isn't studying every waking moment. He tries to explain that the American culture is different. But she doesn't understand. She tells my son that she will never break up with him - a commitment in China is very serious business. My son is only 20 and she is 21 but she asks him about how they are going to make a living. She is the first one I know who is making my son understand that he soon needs to get a job.
The Chinese mother tells my son that she will lose face if he does not marry her daughter -since he already visited their home. The parents sent us heirlooms ( a vase and two china pots) as gifts. I fear that her father will come looking for my son (and maybe even me) if my son doesn't follow through on this  I have no problem with this girl but it is very early for my son. She is really good for him.
The chinese have no facilities for handicapped. They crawl around with their hands and put towels out for money. If they suspect the handicapped person is faking to get money - they lecture the so called handicapped people in public. My son's girlfriend did this on one occasion. You also have to bring your own toilet paper to China. They have flush toilets but don't supply the paper.
The uncle yelled at my son's girlfriend at one point for not carrying his bags. As my son ate, the girlfriend continuously refills his bowl. My son tells her she does not have to do this and she becomes angry - it is her job. She wipes the sweat from his forehead. My son comes back and people ask him if he is getting married. He says "where can I find an American girl like this?"
One of the uncles owns a 30 story building that the whole extended family lives in plus a lot of other chinese families. The extended family looks out for each other.
The chinese respect their heroes and a cousin gives my son a plaque of one of them as a gift. They pay for his hotel on the way back to the US.
When the Chinese drink they click glasses. But there is a pecking order and young people click their glasses lower than the older people or heads of family. No one yells at kids for running around the table. They wait to see what the elders view as acceptable and follow their lead.
I make no point with this discussion. Just interesting facts. These are our competitors of the future. And I will not send them my family heirlooms. But I guess I better start looking for some "Traditional American" stuff that I can get as presents. Cowboy hats? Boots? I don't know. Any ideas?
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A Glimpse Into China
Interesting info, Crunch, thanks for posting it. My wife says some big companies are starting to pull their outsourcing out of China and India. Apparently when they hire someone they usually have to give a 40% raise before their first day or they won't show up. Many tech salaries over there have skyrocketed to the point where the cost savings aren't all that beneficial. Now the big advantage for being there is lack of regulation. Given the proclivity for government to grow that will change in time.
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Ken, I hope there will be pollution regulation. My son says he never saw stars until he came back to the US. Smog is everywhere. When we picked him up at Newark Airport he tells us that the roads are empty on the Jersey Turnpike. To me they were very hectic. He says that the people are much more concentrated there and that driving is a nightmare. Forunately he never had to drive. My son described it as "chaos".
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A Glimpse Into China
Crunch, if you want to be a real hero to this gals family send her Dad a big bottle of Jim Beam or Jack Daniels.  They go crazy over bourbon.
Best of luck.
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I know them well. Murf, Jim Beam or Jack Daniels are not strong enough as Chiese Liquor, they are normally 55-65 degree.
It is a real "Glimpse", funny. Must be from some north province.
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Thanks for the advice Murf! I hadn't thought of booze as an option. I just polished off some Jim Beam myself. But kangaroo - maybe some grain alcohol from Pennsylvania? My son did say their booze was potent
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Crunch, I will try to drink some PA grain liquor to compare. Do have name/brand to recomand?
Used to drink lots of different Chinese liquor. They use different yeasts to get different tastes from combining different of rices.Japanese and Korean did same thing. They learned from Chinese since Tang Dynasty, 7 Century. They added lots of their own characters after that. Very good too.
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Crunch,
180 proof grain alcohol(I think the brand is Everclear). Get a bottle of cherrys pour out the juice and fill it with the everclear.
Like most countries there is nothing wrong with the people. It is the Management.
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