User Comments - suburbanite
suburbanite
Posted on: About Face! A Multi-faceted Look at 面子
March 16, 2009 at 5:02 PM@ Calkins -- I appreciate your comments about our conspicuous consuption in the States. I for one appreciate the Chinese sense of thrift and savings--which is why it is all the more surprizing to see people with $500 cell phones.
Posted on: About Face! A Multi-faceted Look at 面子
March 16, 2009 at 4:56 PMHi QW hosts -- I really liked this episode.
The discussion about displays of face was very helpful. That explains why some of the people I have seen seem to have new expensive hand phones.
I would like to hear more the cultural aspects (especially) 面子。 I do have a question, does it seem that it is acceptable to make sport of foreigners in a way to cause then to lose face?
Posted on: Saved by the Gong: Cutting Open a Frog
March 3, 2009 at 6:16 PMJenny,
I don't see how disecting a frog would be any more traumatice than watching someone decapitate a chicken in a street market.
Good lesson -- it brings back memories science classes from years past.
Posted on: Taking it all off
March 3, 2009 at 5:04 PMI agree. This lesson seemed a little truncated. 请问 is perhaps the most useful lesson on CPOD--the vocabulary is broken down and even newbies get glimpse of how these pieces fit together. You definitely left was wanting more.
Posted on: Too Heavy!
March 3, 2009 at 4:27 PMI had the experience of having my suit case being deemed 太重了at a hotel in China. Two young skinny clerks carried the case up the stairs (there was no elevator). It was embarrasing. I was grateful for the help. The could have taken something else. It was not actually not that heavy, just bulky.
As for the 'man bag', I see it and it baffles me. I guess if you have multiple phones and some map or organizer it is a viable alternative to a standard brief case. I think that is why 外国人 opt for backpacks. It is somehow more acceptible.
Posted on: The Final Show
January 20, 2009 at 4:15 AMDear Amber,
I just got back from Hong Kong, so sort of late to the comments. Your Sunny voice and sense of fun will definitely be missed.
Good Luck in NYC
Bill.
Posted on: How many people are in your family?
December 21, 2008 at 2:28 PMHi Hazelreid,
I don't know why there are two words that. But to communicated tones you can use numbers.
e.g.
|
wàipó become wai4po2 I have not figured out you to input the diacritical marks either. |
Posted on: Chinese Hospitality and Finding Vegetarian Food
December 20, 2008 at 7:42 PMI am not a vegitarian, but was dining with someone that did not wish to have seafood. "Is there any seafood in the fried rice?" "No. None ...." Except for the schools of micro-prawns. "My this rice is crunchy too."
Still I've seen vegetarian only dishes. I think using meat/fish as a garnish is so engrained that it is often not even considered an ingredient [like the boiled bones for flavoring broth].
Posted on: Understanding 了解 (Liǎojiě) and 理解 (Lǐjiě)
December 15, 2008 at 5:35 AMI tend to agree with calkins. I do like to listen, then read--but the shorter the interval the better. Actually following along while I listen to QW helps me to solidify some of what I get from the lesson sooner.
So Pete, if CPOD can accommodate, it would be much appreciated.
Posted on: Can You Use Chopsticks?
March 27, 2009 at 5:45 AMToday peanuts, tomorrow Jello!
我会用筷子！