For the most part if i don't open my mouth or whip out my camera i seem to blend in with the locals and nobody pays me a second glance. I feel sorry for the 
few scattered white people in xi'an, who get absolutley gawked at everywhere they go, and sometimes even hassled. The downside of looking chinese and not knowing the language is that people think you;re a moron when they try to say something to you. Inthe clothing stores you get followed and given a breakdown of all the specials and sales, but cuz they speak so fast i never know if they're just telling me about whats on offer, or asking me a question, so usually i just have to say 'i'm just browsing' in chinese. sometimes i'll tell them 'sorry, i don't speak chinese too well', but that usually results in confused looks. saying that i'm from australia or australian doesn't clarify things either. At first i thought i'd just tell everyone i'm japanese, but then i remembered, ooooh world war 2, so now i just tell em i'm korean or thai.
by the way, i've been having that big bowl of milk for breakfast every morning for the last 2 weeks and still no sign of trouble yet.
few scattered white people in xi'an, who get absolutley gawked at everywhere they go, and sometimes even hassled. The downside of looking chinese and not knowing the language is that people think you;re a moron when they try to say something to you. Inthe clothing stores you get followed and given a breakdown of all the specials and sales, but cuz they speak so fast i never know if they're just telling me about whats on offer, or asking me a question, so usually i just have to say 'i'm just browsing' in chinese. sometimes i'll tell them 'sorry, i don't speak chinese too well', but that usually results in confused looks. saying that i'm from australia or australian doesn't clarify things either. At first i thought i'd just tell everyone i'm japanese, but then i remembered, ooooh world war 2, so now i just tell em i'm korean or thai.i'm still a little chicken when it comes to going out and eating by myself since thers still so many characters on a menu i can't read, so only been going to places i've been taken to and know what i'm getting.
one thing i've noticed about the individual noodle dishes is the lack of meat. and if u do order the 'meat option' , its more like a garnishing of meat ! Guess thats one reason why people in western countries have bigger builds. i really feel like i'm lacking protein these last 2 weeks. so much so i'm even considering popping into macca's or kfc , heaven forbid. still, i'm always interested to see how the menus on these food chains differ btw countries. i'm sure they won't have the mcpooch at maccas or the zinger feet at kfc, but i'm sure it'll still be exotic. not that it's any easier to order though, since the whole menu is still in chinese characters. and when i tried to say big mac to friends the other
day they didn't know what i was talking about. surely they must have it, but just goes under another name. da ma ke?this method of sound translation of western names sometimes works, but sometimes it's not the case. actually i have been to kfc once already with some local friends to rest, and of all things they decided to get a round of milk for us all. yummy, more melamine.
day they didn't know what i was talking about. surely they must have it, but just goes under another name. da ma ke?this method of sound translation of western names sometimes works, but sometimes it's not the case. actually i have been to kfc once already with some local friends to rest, and of all things they decided to get a round of milk for us all. yummy, more melamine.by the way, i've been having that big bowl of milk for breakfast every morning for the last 2 weeks and still no sign of trouble yet.
well Al.. the melamine is a substitute for the protein...
ReplyDeleteHope you get to catch up with Dav!Waiting to hear about how you think if they even celebrate Xmas! U will be there still for Chinese new years on Aust day... take care