Hefei Expat - China

Expat English => Communicating with Foreigners => Topic started by: Aussie Mike on November 28, 2010, 02:21:45 am

Title: Things not to do
Post by: Aussie Mike on November 28, 2010, 02:21:45 am
It is advisable not to say...

1. "Hello, you don't know me but I know you, I want to be your friend, I want to learn English"
2. "Hello, hello, hello, hello... hee hee giggle snigger"
3. "Where are you from, how much money do you make, do you like China, do you like Chinese food, do you like Chinese girls?
    At least wait for a response before asking the next question.
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: ebby on November 28, 2010, 03:26:42 am
It's the same everyday!
Title: English Cornered
Post by: Aussie Mike on November 28, 2010, 05:09:20 am
 ??? Give us some examples...

I don't go to English Cornered anymore, too often I'm bombarded with the same Chinglish questions.
You get to know which text books they are being taught with.  ;D

If you want to get to know someone, be interesting enough to be noticed.

Some questions or rather the way they are being asked, make me feel like I don't want to know that particular person.
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: alex feldmen on December 08, 2010, 05:00:52 am
I agree with you.
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: YetAnotherCanadian on January 13, 2011, 01:40:19 am
Me too.

I question I dislike is 'Do you like China?'.  I never know how to respond.  In western culture, you are supposed to be as honest as possible unless honesty makes your audience feel uncomfortable.  It's like being asked 'Do I look fat in this dress?'   :D
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: Andy72 on January 13, 2011, 11:42:39 pm
in Hefei:
"do you like chinese food?"

..when there are maybe 1-2 not-chinese food restaurants that can really be called that!!!

too easy saying korean bbq is not like chinese food!!!
and please, do not say that pizza hut pizza is good pizza!
it does not even taste as pizza hut in europe!

i know, shanghai and big cities, very different.. lots of proepr not-chinese restaurant..

btw, i love chinese food!!!

Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: lewin on January 14, 2011, 12:25:53 am
I agree with Andy about amazing Chinese food. I mean, I was walking through the Forbidden City in Beijing a few weeks ago and thought: this is not the most special thing about China for me. What I will always remember about China is the hundreds of amazing dishes and restaurants I've tried, and drinking baiju around a big table with friends, family, and colleagues.
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: Joeyhf on January 14, 2011, 05:34:23 am
Hefei have a lot of good restaurant.In Mingzhu area (Near by Lotus Supermarket) is Seina River restaurant that I have dinner there almost every evening or if you need something different try Brasilian BBQ in Sofitel.

Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: Andy72 on January 14, 2011, 07:47:15 am
mingzhu is also my area...
and what it's caleld brasilian bbq here in hefei is more a chinese version of the real one!!

still love it though.. but meat-wise shanghai brasilian bbq was better!!!

i'll give a try to this seina restaurant.. thx Joeyhf!
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: Aussie Mike on February 21, 2011, 01:58:12 pm
Strangers trying to force you to drink with gambei every 30 secs.
I don't even know them.
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: rae on February 22, 2011, 01:17:07 pm
 ;Dany way, u dont like a lot of things, we dont like a lot of things. there r nasty things that ppl from all the nations do, some r in the the same way, some r shown in a different way. so whats the real point of digging the other potential side of  being human beings?  ::)
  Ah haha how about talking something we like or like to do? i like foreigners because at least some of them really know whats a real beauty, and some of them really knows how to appreciate and encourage ppl.
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: Edward Ye on March 29, 2012, 08:40:57 am
U got a lots of humor......... ;)
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: Andy72 on April 02, 2012, 08:20:30 am
btw,

once on a train a girl asked me:

ARE YOU A FOREIGNER?????

that was amazing!!!!
i said: no i'm a chinese in camouflage...

but as i said many times, chinese don't know irony/sarcasm!!!

maybe.,. this is something to say to break the ice.......  ;D
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: letu on June 13, 2012, 05:58:49 am
Very funny
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: zang2er on June 13, 2012, 02:22:06 pm
 ;D ;D ;D  dont be mad . i am a chinese girl , i always get questions from guys like : what's your job? where you live? do you have bf ? how much you can earn per month . do you have apatrment ?   
you should get use to it .    when i met guy like this , i just left
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: Andy72 on June 13, 2012, 11:49:36 pm
Quote
Posted by: zang2er
Insert Quote
     dont be mad . i am a chinese girl , i always get questions from guys like : what's your job? where you live? do you have bf ? how much you can earn per month . do you have apatrment ?   
you should get use to it .    when i met guy like this , i just left

mmmhh.. you must be a really cute Chinese girl judging from those questions!!!  ;)

so, do YOU have a boyfriend???  ;D

just kidding!!

you should post in the forum about what not to do in china, for us laowai!!

but i can think that the how much you earn and if you got an apartment are the typical questions we get over and over, so at some point we want to check how locals react to them!

the others, job and where you live, are completely normal.. the bf.. already mentioned!

nobody asked though if you were.. chinese?  :D

thx for contributing.. have a look at the forums where we laowai wonder about this impolite for you and vice versa! curious about your point of view!
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: zang2er on June 14, 2012, 05:20:40 am
@ andy


Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: Andy72 on June 14, 2012, 05:31:00 am
Susan (i prefer than zang2er)

i'd like to see a larger pic of you then  :)

i guess they say "hello laowai" here in hefei.. in shanghai laowai are even too normal..

besides, from the great way you wrote in english, i also thought you could have been half n' half, not fully chinese.. or a chinese that lived abroad!  :D

i know about chinese realism.. i respect that and the differences, even though some of the direct questions are still putting me off, and i am not a completely newbie (i wasn't it even before moving here!).

still i don't agree about the beautiful face: i actually think chinese, especially girls, especially in the chinese-chinese relationships, are looking past the physical appearances.

i remember one of my first considerations after moving here: i saw around so many chinese couples where the girl beauty was at least 2 points above the male part, even admitting that my taste for man are quite different from almost all the chinese girls i talked to!! in europe i would think in these cases that the boy was rich.. here, no, it cannot be so often!!  :D

and i do know some couples of friends or people i know where the case is not that.. nothing to do with amount of money.. just pure caring reasons!

back to good relationship in china, given nobody believes you are a chinese, all the chinese boys should be more enthralled in dating a pretty foreigner that speaks perfect mandarin!! maybe even some dialect  ;D
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: zang2er on June 14, 2012, 05:48:28 am
@ andy :

 i am still on my way . 
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: Andy72 on June 14, 2012, 05:55:14 am
girl,

you have great achievements and good dreams!

keep pursuit them! i wish you the best..

i just wonder if you misunderstood me or what i wrote: i never thought you were not a real chinese! i was mostly kidding.. never thought to put you down or else!

as i say, great life! good luck for your future!!

and i do think your written english is above hefei-chinese average (i'm not english teacher of course, i'm italian engineer, but i used to go to some english corner at a uni close by to where i live!)

keep fighting! but don't forget to enjoy your victory! this is also important!!
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: zang2er on June 14, 2012, 06:03:47 am
@ andy :   ahhha , its hardly for me to understand english jokes ,   
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: Andy72 on June 14, 2012, 06:08:59 am
from the way you write,

i think you have all the chances you want if you decide to go for it!  ;)
Title: Re: Things not to do
Post by: zang2er on June 14, 2012, 06:11:52 am
@ andy :