User Comments - sushan
sushan
Posted on: Buying a Pet and Food Poisoning
February 2, 2008 at 1:48 AMAnimal rights groups definitely exist here. The AAF has a lot of good information on their activities: http://www.animalsasia.org/index.php?module=8&lg=en They run a moon bear rescue centre here near Chengdu which cares for bears that have been farmed in horrific conditions for their bile. Rebecca's story was the first I had heard of a local person spearheading animal rights activities.
Posted on: Buying a Pet and Food Poisoning
February 1, 2008 at 10:15 AMFood poisoning is particularly a concern to people who are coming short term, I think - it's terrible to waste a big part of your trip being sick. There is a big difference in food handling standards here and there is no foolproof way to avoid it. But I think it would be even more terrible to let fear of getting sick prevent you from experiencing how amazing and varied Chinese food is. I actually trust street food a bit more than restaurants because I can see the preparation, and you can tell after watching for a few minutes if the vendor is being careful about cleanliness/freshness. I also look for places with open kitchens (sometimes there's just no wall) and watch to see how clean and organized the workers are. Here is a pretty good Cambodia based guide for safely eating street food. You need a p*r*o*x*y to get to it from China. http://www.phnomenon.com/index.php/cambodian-food/street-food/6-rules-of-cambodian-street-food-eating/ The feeling sick lesson was Newbie - Feeling Nauseous. Agree that a 'making your peace with God' lesson, assuming you would want to conduct this exchange in Chinese, would be interesting...
Posted on: After You
February 1, 2008 at 3:28 AMI am a little more confused now. I thought 客气 kèqì had a meaning closer to hospitality - or am I reading too much into the 'guest atmosphere' meaning of the characters? If I was describing someone who was hospitable, could I say 她 很 客气 ta1 hen3 ke4qi or would I use 好客 hao3 ke4? From the examples, and from what I can recall from hearing native speakers, it seems like 客气 kèqì is usually used in the negative: 不客气 Bù kèqi; 别客气 bié kèqi. Is it only ever used in the negative?
Posted on: Evading Nosy Questions
February 1, 2008 at 3:17 AMCasie, in the wild - natural speech (or other activity) that you would encounter outside a classroom or other structured, official environment. Kind of a cool expression. Don't lose sleep - don't worry so much that you can't sleep. 'losing sleep' is a very common way to describe stress or worry, not just in America.
Posted on: The DVD Ploy
January 30, 2008 at 4:01 PMmitten = 手套 shou3tao4, if anyone is planning to try that one out. About jimmyscifi's request, are there any lessons explaing the Chinese terms for parts of speech? I know noun: 名子 ming2zi; and verb: 动子 dong4zi; that's it.
Posted on: The DVD Ploy
January 30, 2008 at 6:54 AMHah, re: characters - obviously my reading ability is low, but the first week I was in China I saw a bottle of 白醋 bai2cu4 (white vinegar) in our cupboard. Thought it said 白酒 bai2jiu3 so I drank some, and will never make that mistake again. Good thing it was not some clear bottled 'white rat poison'. The real 白酒 bai2jiu3 that I tried later was even harsher tho...
Posted on: The DVD Ploy
January 30, 2008 at 6:38 AMJenny broke into English at the worst place! How do you say 'loser'? (just use 很土 hen3tu3??) Not sure any more grace needs to wasted on him than 'yuck, I'm out of here'. fudapeng, based on the stories my university age students and friends tell me the dating ploys are not this elaborate, but not much more sophisticated...one girl was describing her first friendly-movie-turned-date with her (foreign) boyfriend, and it was a horror show. When a girl is scared, she wants to hold on to something...like maybe the boy. I couldn't believe that an attractive college age girl seriously didn't know that was the oldest trick in the book.
Posted on: Choosing a Chinese Name and Safety
January 30, 2008 at 1:27 AMNot necessarily, I have several male students with 小 xiao3 in their names. (like, little tiger or little dragon) One of the coolest student names I had last semester was 石 磊 shi2 lei3 - four stones, maybe a bit rustic though? In general, good to avoid names that a) sound too peasant like, b) sound too taiwan-y if you are in mainland and maybe vice versa, c) you have a hard time writing/pronouncing. Need to be aware of puns and cultural references too. Best to find someone who is a native speaker and knows you to help with a Chinese name.
Posted on: Scams and Bus Culture
January 28, 2008 at 2:24 PMIn my city we get announcements on the bus that caring for the old, the ill, and expectant mothers are traditional Chinese values and that people should give up their seats for these people. Most don't have to wait to be prompted though. The sardine scenario can be avoided by not travelling at rush hour but sometimes you have no choice. Yes, money gets passed hand to hand up to the front, and you can pass your swipe card this way too and get it passed back. It's important to manoeuvre your way near a door as you approach your stop, mentioning to people that you want to get off - 要下, yao4 xia4. Then they will let you work your way around them towards the door.
Posted on: Pedestrian Peril
February 3, 2008 at 10:59 AMYeah, I'm not talkative in my native language either so that is a bit of a barrier to my using Chinese a lot in real life. When I am talking with Chinese people, since my listening ability is above my speaking ability, I try to ask as many questions as possible. It's relatively easy and I can usually understand most of the answer. If they ask me a similar question back then I have just heard them use some relevant vocabulary and can spackle together some kind of answer. But I do run into frustrating times when I really want to express something and can't, or really want to engage someone and can't figure out how to do it. I think it comes with the territory.