User Comments - cagster

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 1: A New Manager

I too like the term 师傅 (shi1 fu) ... maybe because of all those Chinese movies I've watched.  霍元甲 Huo Yuan Jia (called "Fearless" for English people) is one of my latest favorites.  I actually fell for the marketing of that film as Jet Li's last film!  I'm glad he (or his bank account) changed his mind.  The film is based on a true story http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huo_Yuan_Jia ... key word here is "based" on true story ... mostly jia3de.  Hey, 精武體育會was founded in Shanghai!  Lots of great things (including Chinesepod too) have been founded in Shanghai!

Posted on: 旧金山

Cool, I have a love / hate relationship with Geek talk.  Me = Geek mostly, but not after using Chinespod!

I think Chinesepod uses a variation of TeX and then software to convert to PDF -- this converter apparently messes up often.

Side item: It's interesting, ... TeX is the brain-child of the computer god, Don Knuth.  He actually came to Adobe to give a talk last year.  Oh, not sure I can say I work here or not.  Here's the kicker: Interesting fact is that Knuth has a Chinese name, 高德纳 (gao1de2na4) ... "accept high morals"? ... see at bottom, http://www-cs-staff.stanford.edu/~uno/faq.html

TeX technology is used highly in "scientific documents" ... big in the academic world.  Hey, buy some Adobe products, join the corporate world ;-)

Hmm, this posting activity can be addictive.

Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Hong Kong

Hi Rash,

A pounding head ache might not be a life threatening health risk, but to those who are afflicted with MSG reactions, they would likely try to avoid an "angry heavy rock band in the brain" feeling.  I actually don't know much about MSG (or much else), so auntie68's post was very helpful, thanks!

I'm not casting any disparaging energy towards Chinese food ... I like Chinese food very much, and I'm currently in a bolder (for me) experimental stage now ... phoenix feet are pretty tasty.

I agree Rash, trans-fats sound dangerous, ... wo3 ting1shuo1 that'll stop your heart solid ... a big old clog ... reminds me of that great lesson ... http://chinesepod.com/lessons/the-clogged-toilet ... he3 dang3 zhe lu4 from another lesson (one of my favorite) "Old Man Who Moved a Mountain."

Wo tingshuo 运动 (yun4dong4) keyi bang ... eating in moderation too.

I think we need a lesson describing someone like me who pulls things out of the sky and talks out his pi4gu.

Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Hong Kong

I was just thinking of a product idea.  An MSG dipper tester!  Even though one says to the wait-person, "please, no MSG," inevitably at some point there will be a direct miscommunication ... "oh, extra MSG" ... or a dropped "hot potato" in relaying info to cooks, etc ... countless bad things can happen in a busy restaurant.  "Waiter, there's a frog in my soup."

With my simple pocket device, just dip my device into your food, and instantly its color will turn, let's say blue, if a reactionary amount of MSG is present.  I do see promise in such a product.  Hmm.

Well, in the meantime, while I develop the idea, I don't know much about MSG reactions, but maybe there is a rule of thumb ... here's my guess ... try a little on the lip or tongue, wait a few minutes, then proceed ... again, just my GUESS, so please find out the best way to self-test if there is such a thing.

Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Hong Kong

There's a MSG lesson here on Chinesepod, but it's not in Cantonese ... hmm, allergy, I agree, would be wise to learn those two or three Cantonese words, "no MSG."

Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Hong Kong

Funny lesson, and educational, well done!

standuke,
My Taiwan-native friend told me the same story of how eating "phoenix claws" improves one's complexion.  From how she spoke, she's not a believer and finds the concept amusing.  My response to her was that maybe eating chicken feet actually causes one's skin to look and feel like chicken feet.  The chicken feet I ate recently (first timer) were covered in a batter, which covered the skin.  Compare that to the photo posted by Clay, and a much more disturbing sensation churns in my stomach.  Now after seeing all the skin's fine details (are those veins I see) with the skin texture (or should I say scales -- birds are dinosaurs, another post maybe), I hope my theory about the effects of eating chicken feet on one's complexion is not true!  My face does feel kind of rough as I now brush my hand across my cheek.

My other friend, a China-native friend, has a separate interesting chicken feet story, which might be true.  She says that years ago while viewing films at community "showings" (these are interesting events of their own, maybe only rural now), well anyway, she says that while viewing movies, chicken feet were a common snack.  Coming soon to a movie theater near you, chicken feet; look for them as a combo, large soda, popcorn and chicken feet.

I have enough material to write a chicken feet book.  Wow, I might be obsessing about chicken feet now.

Posted on: I Don't Have the Strength (... 不动）

I hear 帅哥 (shuai4 ge5) directed at me all the time, and I think that means "good looking brother" ... "handsome guy."

哥 means "brother" ... not sure it has American slang connotations, but gee-wiz, maybe it does now that I think about it, not that anyone ever called me brother in America.

Hmm, I looked up shuai for phonetically similar characters ... dang, I wonder if I'm hearing 衰哥 (shuai1 ge5) "weak dude" ... and not 帅哥 ... with my tone deafness, who knows :-)

Anyway, would 咖啡哥 be better "coffee dude," or is that a title too lofty in esteem?  Wow, I can see now why Amber has so much fun ... this is 好玩 (hao3 wan2).  Just joking around, it's great that he can't retaliate against Poddies.  Always picked on, poor 咖啡哥 ... of is it "pour"?  Okay, somebody stop me.

Posted on: I Don't Have the Strength (... 不动）

Connie, Amber, Coffee-guy,

I have an idea for a Qing Wen show.

I was having Dim Sung with a large group, and I was asked about my Chinese language prowess (or lack of).  I performed my "Ni Hao" related little bag of tricks, and then (using English of course) I asked the native Chinese speakers for help in how to say, "I know random words."

"I know random words."  I expected the translation of this sentence to be quick and easy.

Well, I was not expecting such a road block.  They looked at one other with the same puzzled look ... they pondered, much silence.  This look of high concentration, this eye-squinting forehead-scrunching look, went on for sometime, not sure any actual head scratching took place.

They finally reached a consensus of sorts and said there's no way to do so "naturally."  Well, the Dim Sung cart came, and soon they just gave up.

I had lunch with another native speaker and posed the same question.  Again this puzzled look.  What the heck?

I was told 随机 (sui2 ji1) just didn't work well.

I'm guessing there's a big gap, probably culturally in how to approach this.  Is this one of those few cases where English is more efficient in describing sometime?

Anyway, I thought this would be a good topic for Qing Wen since there's room for more examples ... like ... "I know random facts."

If the answer is simple, please tell me now.

Posted on: Pageant Final Episode

Hi Jenny,

Not sure if it's the same for others, but when I clicked on the above link labeled ...

(http)://jennyzhu.com

... in your comment above, that link sent my browser to ...

http://chinesepod.com/lessons/pageant-final-episode/discussion

I typed in http://jennyzhu.com manually, and that worked.  Hey, nice new Web site by the way!  I too use my plastic grocery bags as trash bags.  Let's buy some stock in garbage bag companies as sales should go up.

(fyi for any green commenters ... I, like most, have no choice but to use plastic bags for garbage ... there;s got to be a better system.)

How about a lesson on chicken feet as a meal?  Had them for first time last weekend.  Huge!  I expected size 4 feet, got size 10!

Posted on: Diet Coke

zenma you4 shi1bai4 !!! di4 er2 gong1 gao4 ren2 !!! got to go "now" ... good mnemonic