I introduced you to some favourite Chinese food in an earlier post. Apparently I made friends around the world hungry and homesick – hopefully in a good way! Here are some more dishes – with love to ex-China friends all over the world.
In English we use “please” a lot. Use it and you’re polite. Don’t and you’re rude. So an English speaker learns the word 请 [qǐng], often translated “please”, and starts throwing it around in Chinese. Problem is, that’s not how Chinese use 请.
Many of the simple words one relies upon in one’s native language don’t exist in other languages – not in the form one is accustomed to. For example, in China it’s uncommon to say 谢谢 when the person is doing something they are paid for.
Last week Driver Shi told me some stories about his family. He doesn’t talk much about himself so it was quite a treat. He casually dropped in that he used to own and run a restaurant! I can easily picture him as the brains of the operation.
Singles’ Day, an anti-Valentines’ day, has become a MASSIVE shopping day, especially online. Last year Alibaba processed over $3 billion in sales on this one day. I hope Singles’ Day means the stigma of singleness is slowly lifting for Chinese.
When expats first arrive in Beijing, we learn a list of basic dishes to order in every Chinese restaurant. Some people don’t get far past this list of foreigner favourites, but there’s so much more out there! Here’s a few of my favourite dishes.
怎么 [zěnme] is a great word because it is so useful. I love that something simple on the surface contains great subtlety, and learning to communicate implied messages simply and fluently – like a Chinese – not spelling it out – like a westerner.
This will be my last year in China. I have no doubt that this is right for me – but that doesn’t mean it’s been an easy choice to make. I will be moving to Australia to spend three years working on a Master of Divinity degree, starting in January 2015.
Life is different overseas – not always harder, but always different. I love that so many expats go out of their way to help out friends – even the newest ones. Most are happy to help, because we’ve all been there.
National Day holiday is October 1st-October 7th, regardless of which days of the week these are. This year, that’s Tuesday-Monday. Then the Sunday before and Saturday after become work days. Confused? Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one.
Many foreigners have had the experience of asking for 水 shuǐ and receiving a blank stare. The problem is that “water” doesn’t mean in Chinese what it means in English. Chinese don’t just ask for 水, they specify what kind of 水!
Part 2 of my Great Wall Adventures spans 2006-2013 and includes Mutianyu, Badaling, Laolongtou, Zhengbeilou, Huanghuacheng, and even Yumen Pass in Gansu province. But my favourite is probably Mutianyu covered with snow!
Stories From Tanya 