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Q: Score one for MY culture.
After a meeting with a client, the boss turns to me and say "why did you not speak to them?" I reply "you were speaking the whole time" she says "you should just interrupt and say something", from me - "in my culture it is considered very rude to interrupt someone when they are talking". She turns on her heels and stalks to her office.
Anyone else used something simple form their own culture to score minor points in the petty office games?
Small town, many moons ago.
Saturday morning, dressed in old T-shirt and shorts. There came a tap-tap-tapping (actually, it was the constant automatic rifle banging that is the norm here) at my chamber door.
I open the door, mop in hand as cleaning my apartment on Saturday mornings was my habit. Outside the door stood a Chinese teacher from the school where I was working but I only have a nod-and-smile acquaintance.
"Big Fat White Teacher! We want to invite you to a wedding!"
"I've already been married, not interested in getting married again so soon."
"No, no. Not you, Teacher Bean!" (There was another nod-and-smile acquaintance who actually looked like Mr. Bean).
"When is the wedding?"
"Now."
I looked firstly at the mop in my hand, at the holes in my t-shirt and my shorts and unadorned feet, "Uh. I'm not dressed for the occasion and I actually don't even have a suit here."
"No problem, come as you are."
"I don't even really know the teacher...and it's a little short notice."
"No problem. I wait, you come now."
"I don't have a gift to give them...I would have to get some money and then a hongbao..."
"No problem. I wait. You come now."
"In my country, we give advanced notice, in writing, of such events. We dress appropriately and bring a gift. I feel very awkward and uncomfortable about this."
"No problem. I wait. You come now."
"In my country, we have a tradition called 'Jus Primae Noctis' Is that good with everyone involved?"
Two blinks, "Ting bu dong."
"Droit du seigneur?"
Four blinks, "Shenme?" Out comes the dictionary, phrase duly translated.
"Big problem! I go. You stay here and...so yellow...we...you...so yellow."
And there were invitations to such events nevermore.
Robk:
That dude had a Latin dictionary?
Don't you just love it when they do that... *knock on door*
"Hello, we go to Hong Kong now. Time to go to the airport."
*WTF*
Sinobear:
If you plan to marry your Chinese fiancee in Canada and she recoils in horror, at least you'll know who to thank.
Only when random people ask me how much money I earn, how much my apartment costs, or if someone asks to take a photo of me, I tell them that it's rude in my culture
Hotwater:
I had a similar situation today at work. As a foreigner in the company I'm covered by a HK medical insurance policy. I've married recently & according to company policy my Chinese wife also gets covered so she gets her own card. I had to send back to our HK office a signed photocopy of the card to acknowledge receipt of it. I'd folded it in half & written the name of the HK staff member on it. I handed it to out Chinese receptionist & asked her to forward it in our internal mail. She asked me if it was personal at the same time she opened it to have a look what it was!!!!
she stood there incredulous as I snatched it back and told her it was extremely rude to look at other people's personal documents. Just didn't grasp what privacy was. She was given it back in a sealed envelope :-)
Here's some weird phrases you can use to get out of situations that the Chinese accept...
1) It's a secret. - (I don't know why but when you say this they accept they won't be getting anymore information on the subject).
Chinese have many secrets, like xiao sans, corrupt deals and more. So they will know this means you can't converse about it outloud for whatever reason.
2) I am not used to it. - (like because you are a foreigner, you are not used to it... it's a simple phrase for simple people).
Let's say you are sick and a Chinese buddy invites you for some booze. If you say, it's not good to drink when sick, they will counter that argument by saying drinking bai jiu is good for a cold (and they are scientifically right, it has been proven that alcohol drunk to a certain point can help stifle the effects of a cold).
I told some people, I don't drink much at lunch (they love their drunken bai jiu parties than to the spa after a hard morning of doing jack-shit all). I told them at first it is because I can't do any work after because I am tired. But then one Chinese guy brought up that it is Sunday... (I work on Sundays but they don't understand my work). I told him... yes, but I am not used to it and they all just went... aaaah yeah makes sense and shut up lol.
