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Posts: 3494

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Q: How's your strange picked-up-in-china-habit going?

Have you?  Picked one up, I mean.

Seems I have.  And now it's in danger of overtaking me.

My habit of counting sedans v SUV type vehicles, has started taking me away from other things.

Like, I used to be able to gaze out the window, without a single thought in my head, for ages.

And now?  I can't.

All I can do now is play the cars versus (psuedo) 4 wheel drives game.  And it's starting to drive me nuts.

 

The habit I'd like to develop is the having-a-mohito-in-the-bath one.  But no one out here knows how to make a mojito.  And there's no baths.

 

How about yourself?  Picked up any strange/unusual habits since moving to China?

Are they socially acceptable?

 

 

9 years 2 weeks ago in  Lifestyle - China

 
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Shifu

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1. Reading beer labels to find out the Alcohol content. 4 % and above thank you very much. Don't waste my time.

 

2. Washing restaurant bowls and chopsticks with hot tea.

 

3. Eating dinner earlier.

 

4. Pushing people. I wouldn't have dreamed of elbowing an old lady back home. Over here granny will get an elbow in the head if she even thinks of queue-jumping.

 

To the OP. Mojitos are easy to make. 

 

2 teaspoons sugar (thai palm sugar is best)

45 - 60 mls white rum (I prefer 60)

1 lime, quartered

handful of mint

Splash of soda

Crushed ice

 

Put lime and sugar into a collins glass. Muddle (not too much) the lime and sugar with a large blunt instrument. Add rum. Slap the mint and put it in. Fill glass with crushed ice. Top with a splash of soda. Mix with a long spoon. It's pretty hard to fuck up. Aged rum is nicer.

yongge:

Yes, mine is quite similar.  Found a shop with a rather nice variety of German beers the other day in Changchun.  Well priced too. I could never understand the tea washing thing, but my GF also insist on doing it.  As for pushing and shoving, I am up there with the best, don't give a shit who gets an elbow in the eye.

But to get back to the OP, I do take things a bit slower and more relaxed, and try to be friendly with most, I am in their country after all. In my home country I am just a grumpy old man.

9 years 2 weeks ago
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diverdude1:

ah Mojitos.... was maybe my favorite...  my regular ol' 'go to' for too many years was just a nice TnT....  but couple of times found myself fkn off in Belize and Cuba and boy did the Mojitos come out to play!    

9 years 2 weeks ago
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icnif77:

Where do you buy mint in China? I was looking for mint tea I fancy, but nobody knows anything about it. I have written 'mint tea' in Chinese characters, but everybody 'meiyou' me.

I brought kilo of mint tea from EU, but I wish to get it in China if possible.

9 years 2 weeks ago
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icnif77:

@Mike: your website is asking me to register, as soon as I enter 'mint tea'. In Chinese.

9 years 2 weeks ago
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mike695ca:

http://detail.m.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=0.0.0.0&id=12282844773&sid=a7266d72125970be&abtest=14&rn=2952e7718ab3b115b4109108c3740c38 @icnif77. There ya go, your mint tea

9 years 2 weeks ago
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mike695ca:

@icnif77- you can lead a horse to water but you cant make him drink. Haha 1. Its taobao not my site. I hella wish i owned it though. 2: you have to register for every website man. If you cant do the work you cant get the rewards. 3: www.expattaobao.com tell them you want mint tea.

9 years 2 weeks ago
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royceH:

Oh yes.....absolutely!  No 1 above is a complete given!  I don't know what that 2.5 piss they dish up down south is all about!

And thanks for the mojito recipe, seems you really know your way around that one.

But I was only kidding about the mojito.  It was just a friendly dig at Mike as I know he has a penchant for the mojito/bath combo.  A bit juvenile, granted. But my wife thinks I'm not any older than 12.

Actually it seems to me that a mojito is a little gay, not that there's anything wrong with that!

Same for mint tea.

 

9 years 2 weeks ago
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royceH:

"Shania, cuppa tea! Bish bosh!"

9 years 2 weeks ago
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mike695ca:

Shit, and here i thought you were actually warming up to the whole mojito and bath idea! Try it first! Its so good the gay remarks just roll off your freshly bathed back!

9 years 2 weeks ago
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icnif77:

I've been often asked in the West 'if I'm gay' as follow-up, after I said 'I've never been married'.  

My A is always 'transportation' related: ''.......'one-way-street''.

I had to warn somebody here recently 'not to ask 'which one?'. Some people can be 'resilient'.

 

'Hong cha' in the morning. It replaced 'espresso' in China, and 'mint tea', before I close my puter at night.

 

I'll get translator for 'China-man registration'. Can I get website for 'bath' (with Aberfeldy/rocks)?

I wonder, if 'bath shopping' website is also in Chinese, since I've never seen bath in China. In the meantime, I'll try 'shover & Scotch' with big umbrella over the glass.

9 years 2 weeks ago
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9 years 2 weeks ago
 
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Comments (27)
Posts: 7178

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Good question. I dont think I have picked up any habits, but I have lost a few. For example, housework, watching soap on tv, watching telly, cleaning under the bed, decorating, diy, complaining about bad parking, complaining about loud or rude people, complaining that skirts are too short, writing on forum about dog shit on the pavement........ blah blah. I have lost more habits than I have gained. I am becoming a drone..... except I do know how to complain about flat beer Smile That habit is with me for life.

ambivalentmace:

are you sure you're drinking a real beer, never mine flat

9 years 2 weeks ago
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Stiggs:

Wait, what ? You complained about skirts being too short?

I can see complaining that kilts are too short because who wants to see a set of nuts hanging down there below the hemline, but skirts?

9 years 2 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

I did indeed stigs. Too cold up north for short skirts...they could catch cold :-) But in tropical south China it makes sense to wear as little as possible. Especially when they actually suit short skirts.... oh... me being sexist :O

9 years 2 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

Ambi.. the beer is flat because they dont know how to pour it, clean glasses etc :)

9 years 2 weeks ago
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royceH:

It can only ever be drunk out of the bottle or can.  Never from a glass.  My big bleat is trying to get a cold one and you should see the lengths I go to to achieve that.

9 years 2 weeks ago
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royceH:

again

9 years 2 weeks ago
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royceH:

and again

9 years 2 weeks ago
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ambivalentmace:

a cold beer in china, fairy tales are for children

9 years 2 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

But ambi..... royce has trouble keeping his beer from freezing....

9 years 2 weeks ago
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9 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4495

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well, this is pretty mundane, but I'd rather use kuai zi than yin zi.  that habit has pretty much stuck with me.   I've also found myself stopping and getting my bearings when I step off an escalator or elevator or through a door somewhere. I've had to tell myself a couple of times to step out of the way...  and that behavior really used to piss me off about our chinese compatriots.

ScotsAlan:

Chopsticks make sense now. Chopsticks in one hand.. beer in the other :-)

9 years 2 weeks ago
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diverdude1:

haha... yeah, that's kinda my rationale too...  I like that they just stay in my hand (one hand) without the constant picking up / setting down / switching hands that I find I do with western silverware.  I'm still having a bit of trouble with them when it comes to soup though...  no

9 years 2 weeks ago
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Stiggs:

Chopsticks are my go to cutlery for almost everything now, except steak.

9 years 2 weeks ago
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diverdude1:

same here.  I only started eating western-style steak again in the last month and yep, I picked up a steak-knife and fork.  other than that, I like the sticks~

9 years 2 weeks ago
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9 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 5321

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I live in an area with a lot of restaurants and KTV places, so on any given night there are people in the area eating, drinking, singing, drinking, having fun, drinking, entertaining guests, drinking, toasting friends, drinking.... and puking. 

 

Every day when I go out and walk to work, or the supermarket or wherever I walk past pools of puke. I started to notice the new ones then for some reason I started counting the vom pools between my apartment and work and now it's just something I do and take notice of.

 

Weird I know and believe me I can't even stand looking at puke so I don't know why I feel the need to count them but at least I won't step in any.

royceH:

See my comment below, you sick bastard.

9 years 2 weeks ago
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9 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 860

Shifu

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umbrellas. never just take a rain coat anymore.

 

walking backwards. the chinese are right it is good to challenge your senses.

 

sleeping at lunchtime. really does help me get through the day.

royceH:

And do you go completely Chinese and start hitting yourself upside your head and back whilst walking backwards?

9 years 2 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

I have a nap at lunch time too. Gotta be carefull though, dont want a western newspaper taking a photo and doing a story about Chinese slave drivers :)

9 years 2 weeks ago
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9 years 2 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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1. Reading beer labels to find out the Alcohol content. 4 % and above thank you very much. Don't waste my time.

 

2. Washing restaurant bowls and chopsticks with hot tea.

 

3. Eating dinner earlier.

 

4. Pushing people. I wouldn't have dreamed of elbowing an old lady back home. Over here granny will get an elbow in the head if she even thinks of queue-jumping.

 

To the OP. Mojitos are easy to make. 

 

2 teaspoons sugar (thai palm sugar is best)

45 - 60 mls white rum (I prefer 60)

1 lime, quartered

handful of mint

Splash of soda

Crushed ice

 

Put lime and sugar into a collins glass. Muddle (not too much) the lime and sugar with a large blunt instrument. Add rum. Slap the mint and put it in. Fill glass with crushed ice. Top with a splash of soda. Mix with a long spoon. It's pretty hard to fuck up. Aged rum is nicer.

yongge:

Yes, mine is quite similar.  Found a shop with a rather nice variety of German beers the other day in Changchun.  Well priced too. I could never understand the tea washing thing, but my GF also insist on doing it.  As for pushing and shoving, I am up there with the best, don't give a shit who gets an elbow in the eye.

But to get back to the OP, I do take things a bit slower and more relaxed, and try to be friendly with most, I am in their country after all. In my home country I am just a grumpy old man.

9 years 2 weeks ago
Report Abuse

diverdude1:

ah Mojitos.... was maybe my favorite...  my regular ol' 'go to' for too many years was just a nice TnT....  but couple of times found myself fkn off in Belize and Cuba and boy did the Mojitos come out to play!    

9 years 2 weeks ago
Report Abuse

icnif77:

Where do you buy mint in China? I was looking for mint tea I fancy, but nobody knows anything about it. I have written 'mint tea' in Chinese characters, but everybody 'meiyou' me.

I brought kilo of mint tea from EU, but I wish to get it in China if possible.

9 years 2 weeks ago
Report Abuse

icnif77:

@Mike: your website is asking me to register, as soon as I enter 'mint tea'. In Chinese.

9 years 2 weeks ago
Report Abuse

mike695ca:

http://detail.m.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=0.0.0.0&id=12282844773&sid=a7266d72125970be&abtest=14&rn=2952e7718ab3b115b4109108c3740c38 @icnif77. There ya go, your mint tea

9 years 2 weeks ago
Report Abuse

mike695ca:

@icnif77- you can lead a horse to water but you cant make him drink. Haha 1. Its taobao not my site. I hella wish i owned it though. 2: you have to register for every website man. If you cant do the work you cant get the rewards. 3: www.expattaobao.com tell them you want mint tea.

9 years 2 weeks ago
Report Abuse

royceH:

Oh yes.....absolutely!  No 1 above is a complete given!  I don't know what that 2.5 piss they dish up down south is all about!

And thanks for the mojito recipe, seems you really know your way around that one.

But I was only kidding about the mojito.  It was just a friendly dig at Mike as I know he has a penchant for the mojito/bath combo.  A bit juvenile, granted. But my wife thinks I'm not any older than 12.

Actually it seems to me that a mojito is a little gay, not that there's anything wrong with that!

Same for mint tea.

 

9 years 2 weeks ago
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royceH:

"Shania, cuppa tea! Bish bosh!"

9 years 2 weeks ago
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mike695ca:

Shit, and here i thought you were actually warming up to the whole mojito and bath idea! Try it first! Its so good the gay remarks just roll off your freshly bathed back!

9 years 2 weeks ago
Report Abuse

icnif77:

I've been often asked in the West 'if I'm gay' as follow-up, after I said 'I've never been married'.  

My A is always 'transportation' related: ''.......'one-way-street''.

I had to warn somebody here recently 'not to ask 'which one?'. Some people can be 'resilient'.

 

'Hong cha' in the morning. It replaced 'espresso' in China, and 'mint tea', before I close my puter at night.

 

I'll get translator for 'China-man registration'. Can I get website for 'bath' (with Aberfeldy/rocks)?

I wonder, if 'bath shopping' website is also in Chinese, since I've never seen bath in China. In the meantime, I'll try 'shover & Scotch' with big umbrella over the glass.

9 years 2 weeks ago
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9 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 19790

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I always start crossing the road in China with word 'Mf'kers' on my mind. Sometimes, I say it aloud (depend on my mood), before I attempt to cross the road.

 

It never happened, I would do the same anywhere outside of China. 

 

I also very often use Q: 'Am I invisible? Today....?', mostly in supermarkets at veggi scale or when entering the local bus.

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9 years 2 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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It's going well. Right now I'm walking down the street wearing sweatpants/tracksuit with my dress shoes, carrying a purse, and my finger permanently shoved into my nostril. 

 

In all seriousness, I've picked up saying "heh" at the end of a sentence, like "xie xie, heh."   I usually only do it around Chinese people but I've done it(unconsciously) around English speakers and received strange looks.  Need...to...stop...

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9 years 2 weeks ago
 
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You are correct!

But seeing as you've been going to the trouble, is the tally trending up or down?

Stiggs:

trending up   :(  Nobody ever cleans it up so they just get added to.

 

I think it started when I was grossed out by a big pool of puke in front of my building, I mean why the hell did they need to do it right there? Then I passed another one and was even more pissed off at people in general. Everyday when I walk past the same mess it pisses me off more and more but then you'll see another one you need to step around or over and it ruins my morning walk.

 

Now I think it's just a way to measure my level of disgust with people, and it's something you can't help but notice even though you'd rather not. In fact looking at it can almost make me hurl myself.

 

 

9 years 2 weeks ago
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Answer of the DayMORE >>
A:  "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "S
A: "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "Shenzhen agent can connect you with an employer, who's authorized to hire waigouren ... and can sponsor Z visa." It's not like every 10th person you meet in Shenzhen's hood can sponsor work visa ...  The only way to change from student to labourer visa is just a regular way by: 1. Finding an employer, who'll apply for an Invitation letter; 2. Exit China and apply for Z visa in your home country's Chinese embassy; 3. Enter China in 30-days after Z visa was stamped into your travelling instrument ...As I am aware, you won't be able to switch to Working permit by remaining in China....,so make ready for a return to your home .... -- icnif77