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Q: Any China habits that suddenly resurface when you go home?
Any of you have unconsciously act in a certain way when you're back home that would only really make sense in China?
I say this because a little while back I was home, and I reverted back to my "Out of China" self, shedding certain habits. Then, honest to God, one day I was walking through my city's Chinatown...and I spit. It was completely unconscious, and I hadn't spit in 2 weeks. I actually stopped dead in my tracks and stood there like an idiot pondering what the hell I'd done.
Still now, I'm not quite sure what the 'switch' was. Was it the smell of Chinese food around? The Chinese characters everywhere? The fact that there were suddenly lots of Chinese around me again? I don't know...but it was kinda scary how my entire behavior unconsciously tuned back to "the Chinese way" in a matter of minutes.
I scream out the window more! I've actually started doing that here but people just seem to keep to themselves and for awhile I didn't do a thing. Now I've been shouting out the window and nobody seems to hear me. Back home when I yell I get people's heads turning in a split second!
Mattaya, is that you in 3B, everyone thinks you're crazy. And you throw dead fish out the window too. I'm in 8C, the apartment with the women screaming all night, they tell me I'm the hero of the building.
Last time I went home, I was completely out of it or 3 weeks, slept day and night, half the time I didn't know where I was when I woke up./ Jet lag. Or maybe not, maybe i caught what ever makes the Chinese sleep all night and day.
I can't think of anything. I guess I don't have any 'China habits'.
Well, I wasn't at home, but when I went to vacation in Japan, I did notice something. I was eating some salmon, and it had bones, and I was about to spit it out on the counter, and I remembered...wait, I'm not supposed to do that. I still don't like to spit things out, but if it has to be done, it's no big deal in China. However, in Japan or back home, that would be a big no no.
I'm more afraid of my habits from home getting me into trouble in China.
Speaking my mind and being very forward the biggest.
Refusing to do or eat anything I don't want.
Laughing at inappropriate and absurd things.
And I hope there are curtains on the windows, cuz I walk around naked in my house. (See above)
Jnusb416:
I think there will be curtains. As for trying things, I do eat things now that I wouldn't have eaten before, such as mushrooms and eggplant. I still won't eat chicken feet, but hey, everyone has their limits.
HugAPanda:
I want to try almost everything. I will refuse to eat the rice, and limit my noodle intake. But I'm not afraid to try new things.
And I'm glad to hear about the curtains lol
Jnusb416:
The only reason I eat rice is because the food is often very salty. I certainly don't eat as much as the locals. At first they were concerned, but now they understand I just don't eat a lot of rice.
HugAPanda:
I'll be tickled if I can find brown rice, but I have a feeling I'll have to make it myself. We'll see.
TedDBayer:
Panda, I ate chicken feet, went to a Cantonese restaurant hoping for dishes more familiar to me,, guess who ordered. I was eating noodles in stores, more like chicken noodle soup , less soup, I was complaing to GF I like my bacon cooked so fat is crisp, she tell me she thinks I like eating pig ears. Never eaten street food until recently,, fried noodles,,yum, hold the pig ears. And so many different things, a wrap fried on a garbage can, with a deep fried thing in the middle and peanut sauce. love it Curtains,,hhmm well the balcony door is open, they can watch and hear me.
For me, when I returned to the US, the two big things were trying not to drive like a maniac and tipping.
The first couple of times I went to restaurants I didn't tip at all. It just didn't even enter my mind. Once I realized what I had done, I felt so bad that I actually went back to the restaurants and gave my server a big tip and a bigger apology.
