User Comments - mark
mark
Posted on: Lost in the Mall
October 23, 2013 at 1:36 AMJohn, the escalator enforced tours of each floor aren't just a Chinese thing. I've seen it here in the States, too.
Posted on: Saved by the Gong: Physics
October 17, 2013 at 3:44 AM旱鸭子和湿鸭子呢？
Posted on: Temporary Cell Phone
October 15, 2013 at 4:15 AMJust keep with Cpod a bit longer, and the Chinese instructions won't be a problem 吧。
Posted on: When to Travel to Tibet
October 8, 2013 at 2:58 AMI've only been to Lhasa. There are a lot of non-Tibitians there and most of the Tibitians I encountered spoke very standard Mandarin. A few only spoke the local language, as far as I could tell. It was actually easier for me to communicate in Lhasa than in some nominally Mandarin speaking areas where the language has picked up some local characteristics, Chengdu, for example. Institutions like banks, the airport and hotels seem to be run in Mandarin. Occasionally, you will find someone who speaks English, but I think getting by on your own in English would be hard. Getting by in Mandarin wouldn't be a problem.
I suspect I might have had a different experience, if I went to a small village, but since I didn't do that, I don't know.
The real problem with Tibet is the altitude. It gave me all the benefits of a really, really bad hangover, without the pleasure of even a drop of beer.
Posted on: Strange Chinese Food
October 6, 2013 at 2:03 PMHow about scorpions on a stick? Is this an everyday snack, or a little weird and icky? I saw a stand selling these in Beijing. I assume I could have selected a skewer of wiggling scorpions and they would have fried them up for me. I didn't happen to see any takers, though. So, I'm not exactly sure how the procedure went.
Posted on: 机器人会抢掉我们的工作饭碗吗？
September 30, 2013 at 1:27 AM想到社会老龄化，机器人代替人来做工作就是一个很好景象，会避免很多经济危机。
Posted on: Shaven Dog
September 28, 2013 at 2:38 AMYou never know when you might have a occasion to talk about shaven dogs, or pigs bathing in the Huang Pu. I've always liked the diversity of topics on CPod.
Posted on: The Trouble with Marrying a Foreigner
September 16, 2013 at 4:09 AMMy wife is American, but her ancestors were Chinese. Her parents' generation pretty much exclusively married other Chinese-Americans. Her generation, men and women, often married white spouses, like me.
There are some cultural issues (attitudes about money, family...) that seem like they require some adjustment, but relations between the sexes seem no easier , nor more difficult than, between any particular man and woman.
...just my experience.
Posted on: Bringing Up 以
September 7, 2013 at 2:01 AMGreat Qing Wen! 以 is one of those mistifying utility characters that I have stumbled over for a while. Now, it all seems clear.
Maybe, someday Qing Wen can tackle 然, too.
Posted on: Dark Day
October 27, 2013 at 3:33 AM我很喜欢《如果你是李白》那首歌。