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Posts: 1300

Shifu

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Q: Do your colleagues think you only drink coffee?

I drink tea at my office. On more than one occasion when I go to the hot water dispenser, a colleague will see me and ask me "is it coffee?" One guy looked into my cup full of tea leaves as he asked that, so I asked him sort of tongue in cheek "does this look like coffee?" Apparently tea is for Chinese people and foreigners don't have it in foreignland. Has this happened to anyone else?

9 years 14 weeks ago in  Culture - China

 
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Yes.

I tried explaining once to someone I worked with that I actually only drink coffee when I'm having a really busy day at work which led to a conversation with her basically asking me when do foreigners drink coffee.. like there is a rule that is strictly adhered to by everyone outside of China or something. I said foreigners drink the same way as Chinese people do. Everyone has their tastes and preferences and there is no rule or stereotype that can be applied.

About 2 weeks later I heard her telling someone foreigners don't like tea or water, we all drink coffee, presumably all the time.

 

I feel like I'd have more luck talking to the rubber plant in my living room sometimes.

Sinobear:

Does your rubber plant drink coffee or tea?

9 years 14 weeks ago
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Stiggs:

haha, well as everybody knows those foreign rubber plants only drink beer

9 years 14 weeks ago
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Eorthisio:

Yes, talking with many Chinese is like talking with a deaf wall (if walls had ears), that's why I don't talk to locals anymore, not even in Mandarin.

9 years 8 weeks ago
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9 years 14 weeks ago
 
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Posts: 1876

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I DO only drink coffee. Can't drink water - fish have sex in water.

Scandinavian:

ever see fish have sex in coffee. they can go on for hours !

9 years 14 weeks ago
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9 years 14 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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I drink neither coffee, tea or alcohol. When one of my colleagues found out, she was convinced that all foreigners drank coffee.

 

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9 years 14 weeks ago
 
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Yes.

I tried explaining once to someone I worked with that I actually only drink coffee when I'm having a really busy day at work which led to a conversation with her basically asking me when do foreigners drink coffee.. like there is a rule that is strictly adhered to by everyone outside of China or something. I said foreigners drink the same way as Chinese people do. Everyone has their tastes and preferences and there is no rule or stereotype that can be applied.

About 2 weeks later I heard her telling someone foreigners don't like tea or water, we all drink coffee, presumably all the time.

 

I feel like I'd have more luck talking to the rubber plant in my living room sometimes.

Sinobear:

Does your rubber plant drink coffee or tea?

9 years 14 weeks ago
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Stiggs:

haha, well as everybody knows those foreign rubber plants only drink beer

9 years 14 weeks ago
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Eorthisio:

Yes, talking with many Chinese is like talking with a deaf wall (if walls had ears), that's why I don't talk to locals anymore, not even in Mandarin.

9 years 8 weeks ago
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9 years 14 weeks ago
 
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Yeah, most Chinese think that all foreigners drink coffee. 

 

I don't however... not my thing. 

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9 years 14 weeks ago
 
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My Chinese coworkers know coffee sucks in China, and that I drink only Fujian's hong cha.

 

I'm very detailed at the espresso cup. One can ruin my day with the bad cup of brew.

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9 years 14 weeks ago
 
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I don't have colleagues, however all Chinese people I know (wife excluded, she drinks hot coffee) drink tea at a lovely 37C temperature. 

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9 years 14 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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Don't really have any colleagues myself either, being a university teacher. But unlike many Chinese people around me, I prefer drinking good quality teas over poor quality Starbucks and similar coffees. 

 

It is possible that many Chinese have seen a (1) foreigner and assumed that all foreigners must be like that with coffee though. 

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9 years 14 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1300

Shifu

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I was at the hot water dispenser today eating a Snickers bar, no cup in hand. One of my colleagues sees me eating the Snickers bar and asks "are you making coffee?" 

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9 years 8 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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Starbucks is doing major business here....

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9 years 8 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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I'm not going to pretend I know anything about anything when it comes to coffee brewing - as long as boiling water flows over coffee grounds the liquid that always comes out is coffee to me.  I pretty much grew up on good ole Folgers and I have no clue how to brew a coffee that isn't Americano.  So I always get American coffee in Starbucks and it tastes just fine to me. 

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9 years 8 weeks ago
 
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Yes, most of my colleagues here think that I only drink coffee, I do drink one every morning to kick start me and that's it.

 

There is a local Chinese guy at my office who studied in the UK, he drinks a lot of coffee (why not English tea? No why), he took the habit while over there, other Chinese who never went overseas for more than traveling think that he is so "foreign" and international just for drinking coffee. WTF?

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9 years 8 weeks ago
 
Posts: 544

Shifu

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I was judging an English competition once, and one of the girls (high school age, I believe) was asking the judges if they wanted coffee or tea. I said I could prefer tea. She gave me coffee anyhow, without listening, as though asking the question wasa  formality.

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9 years 8 weeks ago
 
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My colleagues think I only drink beer wink.

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9 years 8 weeks ago
 
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Yes, they do. Maybe it's because I drink only coffee, and a bit of water (room temperature). Tea it not my cup of te... not my mug of coffee.

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9 years 8 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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Somehow even if I don't drink coffee in front of them it comes up in conversation.
When I tell them I do in fact like coffee they act like they have foreignland pegged and they are cultural geniuses...
 

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9 years 8 weeks ago
 
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