Part of the problem with announcing new posts for this blog on Facebook is that the responses arrive there too.
David Nath at 10:53am April 22 replied to the entry about the toll booth collector:
This is hillarious!
Cyril Chen in Hong Kong at 9:52am April 25 his time weighed in on the blog about himself:
Mr. Marcus, in my opinion, when Chinese people ask you: have you lunch yet, they are not showing their intention to finish the dialogue.Normally, when two friends or two neighours meet at the street, they say “have you had dinner” to each other, just like Americans say “hallo!”If during the talk, they ask you whether you have dinner, they might (1) think it is time to dinner; or (2) show their care to you.
Eating is one part of Chinese culture, and as a family, the time to get together usually happens at a big table during a big festival, entire family members eat and talk. That’s why dinner is far beyond the eating itself. And Chinese people ask whether you ate, not 100% want to know whether your dinner is hamburg or rice, but want to know whether you are okay.
Regards,
Cyril Chen
At 11:28pm April 24 my time in New York I replied:
Cyril, I am showing my frustration with social niceties either here or there. I’m a curmudgeon. When we write it is ALWAYS about ourselves…even when we are talking about others. Or, at least when I write it is about me!
Thanks for the reaction.
Yifeng Jiang in Shanghai at 1:19pm April 25 his time writes:
Ur site can not be visited here once again.
I don’t think it’s always a sign that they have nothing to talk with you when they ask if you ate. The meaning varies depending on the different situation. It’s just a cultural thing that you don’t need to take too much of. Just like people in US say “Excuse Me” all the time even if they don’t always mean but to be polite ( 😀 Let me know if I’m wrong). I’m just wondering what if the one who you ask if ate says he didn’t and by accident he’s the one who you really don’t feel like eating with. I guess you might say ” too bad I already ate.”