|
Self-checkout is frequently a disaster at the grocery store here. I've gotten adept at sliding other people's poo poo off the little counter and dumping it on the floor in a single motion while continuing to check my own stuff out.
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 04:17
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 18:30 |
|
|
I just don't understand the mindset between crowding and not waiting in line. Are line-cutters and crowders really so important? Am I so unimportant that you have the right to cut in front of me to buy a box of cookies for that child, lady? Is it selfishness or underdeveloped empathy?
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 04:26
|
|
|
Anyone you don't personally know does not exist, as far as I can tell. They're just human-shaped objects impeding you. I remember my innocent early days thinking it was racist before I noticed Koreans do it to each other all the time and in fact, shoving me is egalitarian. If anything it's ageist.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 04:29
|
|
|
Grand Fromage posted:Anyone you don't personally know does not exist, as far as I can tell. They're just human-shaped objects impeding you. Asia becomes much easier to deal with once you start treating people like HK-47 treats pretty much everyone in Knights of the Old Republic: http://youtu.be/8Z9_yCk-EUA Meatbags.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 04:49
|
|
|
Ceciltron posted:Am I so unimportant that you have the right to cut in front of me to buy a box of cookies for that child, lady? You absolutely are. Grand Fromage posted:Anyone you don't personally know does not exist. Absolutely this. There are 1.3 billion people in this country. China's official motto may as well be "gently caress you, got mine". If you want to be successful within the Chinese community, you need to develop this attitude while keeping your Chinese relationships close, happy and smooth. If you want to be successful with the ex-pat community, you need to make sure you do not have this attitude.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 04:49
|
|
|
tacoman165 posted:What is it with China and elevators? I see this happen in Panama too. People barge in while people inside try to get out. Time is wasted and everyone gets mad. Despite this, cars in Panama do stop for people crossing the road, especially if you have kids. Something I have yet to see here.....
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:00
|
|
|
gently caress I'm back in Hong Kong. Least people line up here
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:03
|
|
|
caberham posted:gently caress I'm back in Hong Kong. Where were you where going back to Hong Kong is "gently caress!" but people didn't line up? I can't think of a place that would qualify.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:11
|
|
|
Ceciltron posted:I just don't understand the mindset between crowding and not waiting in line. Are line-cutters and crowders really so important? Am I so unimportant that you have the right to cut in front of me to buy a box of cookies for that child, lady? You can't effectively stop people from doing it so they are just going to go hog wild.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:15
|
|
|
You guys should move to Shenzhen, you don't have to deal with nearly as much of everything in this post*:goldboilermark posted:About a month ago our bathroom was out of toilet paper. I went and told our floor handyman and he said "I don't know". because people are more civilized here. *Assuming you stay away from the border crossings and factory towns (ie, where caberham goes)
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:30
|
|
day I have had in the last month or so.
|
MeramJert posted:You guys should move to Shenzhen, you don't have to deal with nearly as much of everything in this post because people are more civilized here. If I wanted to move to a civilized area I would just leave China altogether and head back to Chicago, the UK or move to Japan. I wouldn't stay in China. I would simply go home or go to a place with a social network that is already set up, in a civilized society.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:32
|
|
|
goldboilermark posted:Where were you where going back to Hong Kong is "gently caress!" but people didn't line up? I can't think of a place that would qualify. I was in the amazing land of NIPPON. Went to shikoku, Kyoto and Osaka. Goon meets everywhere! Japan is great for visiting but may not be so great to live. It's like Maine. And meram jert likes to play up Shenzhen, but it's still a dump. Albeit instead of a pile of poo poo it's a puddle of urine
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:36
|
|
|
goldboilermark posted:If I wanted to move to a civilized area I would just leave China altogether and head back to Chicago, the UK or move to Japan. I wouldn't stay in China. I would simply go home or go to a place with a social network that is already set up, in a civilized society. but shenzhen is a nice halfway house. this is probably also true of shanghai but idk maine sucks
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:38
|
|
|
MeramJert posted:You guys should move to Shenzhen, you don't have to deal with nearly as much of everything in this post*: I agree generally here its not all that bad but using the MTR is annoying as the concept of letting people off first so there is more space is like just a weird concept here. They even have PR videos explaining everything on the train! Annoying thing is when I travel across the border and they get onto the HK MTR Mainland Chinese decide they will do it better. Also the idea of having a fast and slow lane on the escalator has not caught on and some people just stand in the middle!
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:41
|
|
|
caberham posted:I was in the amazing land of NIPPON. Went to shikoku, Kyoto and Osaka. Goon meets everywhere! why would you go to all of these amazing places with excess amounts to do and ruin them with goon meets lol
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:41
|
|
|
goldboilermark posted:About a month ago our bathroom was out of toilet paper. I went and told our floor handyman and he said "I don't know". I wish there were a blog that posted stories like this every day. So great. Makes me nostalgic for China.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:44
|
|
|
As with most important socio-political matters, this has been discussed on BBC breakfast. http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTc5MTYzNzU2.html It's quite clear that William Hanson has never been to a theme park in his life and it offends my class sensibilities to hear that little Scouse scrubber attempting to frame something in terms of an equation and then following it with a Hello magazine smile. It's like she's a shop assistant explaining the science behind skin cream. She is Scouse by the way, the way she says "vehicle" gives it away first and then around 0407 she does that weird post velar nasal glottal stop thing, which also suggests that she is a scrubber. Most people wouldn't notice that but it's important that you learn to spot the signs in case you ever encounter one in real life. If you have difficulty understanding her, this may be helpful: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjE5NjE0NDA4.html http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzE3MTYwMTIw.html GuestBob fucked around with this message at 06:33 on Feb 9, 2014 |
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 05:56
|
|
|
(looks up the word scouse)
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 06:06
|
|
|
bad day posted:(looks up the word scouse) Start with Season One and work forward from there. It's set in Manchester - which is very much not Liverpool - but it's one of the best shows ever made and you'll never have to look up a British idiom again. http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzczMTAxOTIw.html And obviously this was the original which was remade for the US.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 06:21
|
|
|
On the plane to the US a guy calmly and silently stepped into the first third of the line when boarding the plane. I decided the best revenge was to silently and calmly step in front of him. He did not say anything.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 06:46
|
|
|
goldboilermark posted:why would you go to all of these amazing places with excess amounts to do and ruin them with goon meets lol Networking bro; now he has the dope on every realdoll store in Asia
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 07:41
|
|
|
caberham posted:And meram jert likes to play up Shenzhen, but it's still a dump. Albeit instead of a pile of poo poo it's a puddle of urine I like to pretend that Harbin is a turd encased in a foot of ice-urine, but it's all lit up with neon lights and ICBC ads so tourists come from all over to see it in the winter.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 08:06
|
|
|
Arglebargle III posted:On the plane to the US a guy calmly and silently stepped into the first third of the line when boarding the plane. I decided the best revenge was to silently and calmly step in front of him. He did not say anything. Genius!
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 08:10
|
|
|
This thread was exceedingly helpful when I took a trip to Shanghai for work back in November. Those crazy bastards have asked me to come back again in a couple of weeks, except this time to Guangzhou. Much as last time, I'm hoping you guys can point me in the direction of a quality local beer. The brewpub I went to in Shanghai was great (run by US ex-pats I believe) so I'm hoping to find another place in Guangzhou. Also, I didn't see this covered in the OP: do you guys have issues with Skype calls through the firewall? I had a VPN router last time and it worked fine but if I don't have to haul the extra gear, so much the better.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 14:31
|
|
|
Mackieman posted:Also, I didn't see this covered in the OP: do you guys have issues with Skype calls through the firewall? I had a VPN router last time and it worked fine but if I don't have to haul the extra gear, so much the better. Skype has always been fine with me.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 14:47
|
|
|
I use Video Calls through WeChat with almost everyone and it works perfectly. Girlfriend and I Skyped with her family last night and it worked just fine as well.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 14:49
|
|
|
Mackieman posted:Also, I didn't see this covered in the OP: do you guys have issues with Skype calls through the firewall? I had a VPN router last time and it worked fine but if I don't have to haul the extra gear, so much the better. Never had a problem using Skype with VPN on. THough sometimes it is not quick enough to support video and may require a reconnection if its poor quality. Do you need the router because I just use the app when I got Strong VPN (which is like twice as good as privateinternetacess which had become almost unusable in the last few months) Thought I imagine a router is probably better but seems like a luxury you can do without.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 14:52
|
|
|
I've never had a problem with Skype being blocked. In fact, you can use GPass to tunnel your traffic through Skype. Every Chinese HR department, such as they are, would scream bloody murder if Skype got blocked.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 15:03
|
|
|
Thanks doods. I use the Skype app on my phone just to make voice calls to my wife and whatnot, so I'm not overly concerned about video. But it's good to know that it likely won't be blocked or anything. Since I'm connecting to a vacation with my family in Europe after the trip, less stuff to haul around is better.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 15:07
|
|
|
caberham posted:Japan is great for visiting but may not be so great to live. It's like Maine. Die. MeramJert posted:maine sucks Die with him.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 15:16
|
|
|
Caberham, except for Tokyo which is totally a better place to visit than to live, Japan is basically the opposite of what you said.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 15:19
|
|
|
Mackieman posted:This thread was exceedingly helpful when I took a trip to Shanghai for work back in November. Those crazy bastards have asked me to come back again in a couple of weeks, except this time to Guangzhou. Much as last time, I'm hoping you guys can point me in the direction of a quality local beer. The brewpub I went to in Shanghai was great (run by US ex-pats I believe) so I'm hoping to find another place in Guangzhou. Nope no good local beer here in the south  When are you coming in to Guangzhou? If you have time you should come visit me in Hong Kong! Or if I can I will try my best to squeeze in a mini meet. My go to restaurant is 13 factories. You can get decent American Southern food and Blue Star. VideoTapir posted:Caberham, except for Tokyo which is totally a better place to visit than to live, Japan is basically the opposite of what you said. Funny how most Japan goons I met/talked actually like to live in Tokyo, it's finding a decent job that's the problem. Remember that I'm actually a pansy Honger who has never encountered a northern winter for long. I just think that you need to make a lot more money in Japan to be comfortable compared to China. Granted clean water, cleanliness, good air, good food, bidet, bath culture, amazing retail service, amazing skiing are only a few things that makes the country super awesome. Oh and the trains would make Pro PRC Laowao drool. Express Trains, Super Express, Limited Express, local trains, etc... China is just more And a 2 stop subway ride for 200 yen whereas a 1 hour city to city commute for 500 yen is just plain retarded 
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 16:04
|
|
|
Mackieman posted:This thread was exceedingly helpful when I took a trip to Shanghai for work back in November. Those crazy bastards have asked me to come back again in a couple of weeks, except this time to Guangzhou. Much as last time, I'm hoping you guys can point me in the direction of a quality local beer. The brewpub I went to in Shanghai was great (run by US ex-pats I believe) so I'm hoping to find another place in Guangzhou. Like caberham said, there's nothing like that place in Shanghai down here. There's some guy in either Guangzhou or Shenzhen that makes small batches of whiskey that are pretty good if you can find it, but I don't really know where to find it anymore. For a more real local thing, there's places down here that do hornet and snake venom infused shots of baijiu or something that are supposed to affect you more than alcohol alone does. I don't know if they do that other places in China or not.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 16:45
|
|
|
A guy who brews beer in Chengdu told me Guangzhou has a place that has local beers and makes their own as well? Edit: Googling suggests it might be The Strand Beer Cafe Tom Smykowski fucked around with this message at 16:56 on Feb 9, 2014 |
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 16:53
|
|
|
Dudes with Chinese wives; did you end up paying a dowry or bride-price or whatever to your wife's parents? How did you reconcile your ethical position to accomodate this tradition? My girlfriend and I have been discussing marriage and the only defense she could raise for giving a dowry to her parents was that they'll lose face if I don't. It's a hosed tradition. People tell me that parents will use the money to buy stuff for their daughter's home, but I'm absolutely certain we wouldn't see a single mao. What's up with the cultural obsession with money, subversion, and childish and indignant selfishness? Why does every single interpersonal and social exchange revolves around money somehow? Also, are there any hypotheses regarding the Chinese "gently caress you, got mine" additude that aren't related to scarcity?
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 17:28
|
|
|
My girlfriend's dad told her last year that when she gets married and he gets the bride price, he'll just deposit 100% of the money into her personal bank account. Are you sure you wouldn't get anything back?
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 17:35
|
|
|
Woodsy Owl posted:Dudes with Chinese wives; did you end up paying a dowry or bride-price or whatever to your wife's parents? How did you reconcile your ethical position to accomodate this tradition? My girlfriend and I have been discussing marriage and the only defense she could raise for giving a dowry to her parents was that they'll lose face if I don't. It's a hosed tradition. One friend who is China-married did pay a paltry sum and the money was just given to the wife (so basically back to him again). Another friend did not pay, but they did not have any wedding ceremony and are pretty non-traditional.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 17:39
|
|
|
My wife's family is mostly from a very small town in Shandong. Some of them live in Jinan though. Her parents are pretty well off, but she has some super poor relatives too that live in those communal farm buildings way off in the middle of nowhere. We got married in the U.S. with a small ceremony, then we went to China a few months later to do the reception stuff. Keep in mind that you're supposed to be doing this in YOUR HOMETOWN, so you are already loving the tradition up by doing the stuff in your wife's hometown anyway (use that as part of your argument). So what normally happens is you would pay the dowry, but then you would recoup a lot of the cost because the reception would be held in your hometown, and all the hundreds of people you invite would give hongbaos to your parents. More modern is: The guy's parents buy the house, the girl's parents buy all the electronics and furniture and maybe even the car. Since you probably are western and like, buy your own houses and cars, this is maybe not an issue? I would argue that you do the reception in your wife's hometown, then let her parents just pocket all the hongbaos. That way they get to offset the cost of holding the reception, and also make a good amount of profit. We planned to do this, just let her parents keep all the money, but they were really cool and gave it to her anyway. We got about $10,000 USD because it was a small town. Her cousin, whose parents are way more rich and live in a big city, got about $100,000 USD from her wedding reception. So basically this reception is a huge potential moneymaker, and you probably don't expect to be turning your marriage into a loving business opportunity, so just tell them they can keep all of the money, and that is the dowry?
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 17:41
|
|
|
Woodsy Owl posted:What's up with the cultural obsession with money, subversion, and childish and indignant selfishness? Why does every single interpersonal and social exchange revolves around money somehow? Also, are there any hypotheses regarding the Chinese "gently caress you, got mine" additude that aren't related to scarcity? Every time I hear about this kind of thing, I think of Ah-Q trying to draw the perfect circle in Lu Xun's The True Story of Ah-Q. He's so obsessed with saving face by doing it properly that he doesn't realize how stupid and insignificant it is (not to mention wrong from the get go; he's trying to sign his name but doesn't know how to write, and all he can think of is a circle). Lu Xun. Smart guy.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 18:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 18:30 |
|
|
Woodsy Owl posted:Dudes with Chinese wives; did you end up paying a dowry or bride-price or whatever to your wife's parents? How did you reconcile your ethical position to accomodate this tradition? My girlfriend and I have been discussing marriage and the only defense she could raise for giving a dowry to her parents was that they'll lose face if I don't. It's a hosed tradition. Didn't pay bride price. All of my wife's sisters and her mom were of the opinion that I was not of their culture, so I was exempt. Her dad on the other hand thew a shitfit of the idea that I wouldn't pony up fiften grand for a gift. Interestingly, the tradition in her home town, as was explained, was that the parents would keep all the wedding gift monies. It all sounded shady as gently caress as I had never heard any deviation from the old give 100, get 150 back, etc practice. We didn't have a wedding in China, so we avoided that, but he still wanted money. I asked him if he'd be willing to pay the 15 grand for the wedding I wanted to do in the USA as is our culture for the bride's parents to pay - this of course didn't go over so hot. You partaking in Chinese culture is limited to the point of where it benefits everyone else but yourself. Anytime you might get anything of value, you're just another foreigner who gets handwaved and told to get out. My opinion is that the economic difficulty for most of the 20th century set people's minds on money very seriously. Survival was tough for most of the population, so if you can get your hands on wad of cash, you'll do anything to get it - survival.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2014 21:44
|
|