Does this piece describe you? Culture shock.

[fountainhall]

As you say, it's just your opinion, but you express it strongly with more than a hint of sarcasm. And that's on the basis of having lived only a few years in an Asian country and never having spent much time in Japan, let alone having worked there.

As for the reference to Chinese, it was of course meant in a business sense. For all my time in Hong Kong and Japan has been business-related.

But then you are the expert and you have your opinions of what other posters write and express as the truth.

[arsenal]

I'm sorry. I shall in future agree with whatever you write Oh Great Master of all things Asia and Asian.

[fountainhall]

And that adds insult to injury. Goodnight!

[aussie_]

I rarely have tried a Thai wai and cringe when I see other foriegners giving a wai to every Thai they greet. I have noticed that Thais do not wai foriegners as often as in past years in the places that I visit.

I did travel to Japan on a business trip and there were so many Japanese bowing so often that it became an almost involuntary action to bow back. Hopefully they appreciated that I was ignorant in the correct bowing technique and were used to it after dealing with other foreigners. I can remember that after returning to Australia from Japan for the first couple of days that I was still ocassionally bowing to people upon greeting which probably looked a bit silly but my brain and body had become conditioned to do so after three weeks in Japan.

For the last two and half years I have been travelling between Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, China and return to Australia every four months. I can adjust between the habits and cultural differences between the Asian countries within a day or so although China took a bit longer the first time. After many trips to Asia the biggest culture shock is when I return to Australia.

[sglad]

She said the staff felt I was "more Chinese than a Chinese". No doubt you don't believe that either.

I believe you and I'm sorry you had to go through it. To say someone is "more Chinese than a Chinese" is a backhanded compliment that we Chinese reserve for those foreigners who overdo the assimilation thing. Although the put-down is directed at the fuddy duddy guest, it's really an inside joke for us to snicker among ourselves at the over-the-top behaviour of the guest. Usually the foreigner has a static view of his host culture, something he picked up from a guide book published 50 years ago, and clings on to rigid beliefs and practices that may no longer apply in the host culture to satisfy his own colonial hang up of the quaint 'Chinaman'. Don't be surprised if he has a DVD of Broken Blossoms in his favourite movies stash. This is not unique to the Chinese. Twice now I've seen Thais poke fun at westerners for overdoing the Thai thing, once by mimicking the exaggerated way he spoke Thai and another time by telling the guy "Khun mern Khon Thai maak" with the emphasis on 'maak' ('maaaak') corresponding with the degree of the sneer. In both instances the westerners did not realise they were being made fun of, but the Thais in the background were snickering.

"You're more British than a Brit."

"You're more American than a Yank."

"You're more Black than Justin Bieber or Rachel Dolezal."

Doesn't really sound like a compliment, does it?

[fountainhall]

I believe you and I'm sorry you had to go through it.

And you sglad haven't the faintest clue what you are talking about. Your cover is already more or less blown!

[sglad]

And you sglad haven't the faintest clue what you are talking about.

I'm sorry, fountainhall. I guess you are indeed more Chinese than a Chinese.

[a447]

Sglad, I can see where, in some cases at least, that could indeed be a snide remark.

But you forget to mention that fountainhall is not some "fuddy duddy foreigner" who drops into China occasionally. He has been working there for decades - in a managerial position. So do you really believe he hasn't yet picked up the local etiquette? He's been exposed to it for years and getting it "right", as opposed to being it "perfect" is not all that difficult.

I was also told "You are more Japanese than a Japanese " over the 30 or so years I lived there. Every fucking day! And you know what? At times I actually agreed with them. Yeah, I am able to speak polite Japanese better than you. Yeah, I can write more Chinese characters than you. Yeah, I can tell you what expression to use in this situation. And you know what? I can even tell you that you are holding your chopsticks the wrong way!

Do you think they were being "snide" to me?

I think you may have been trying to score a cheap shot.

BTW, perhaps you would like to introduce us all to the concept of "face" in China.

Lol

[sglad]

I was also told "You are more Japanese than a Japanese " over the 30 or so years I lived there. Every fucking day! And you know what? At times I actually agreed with them. Yeah, I am able to speak polite Japanese better than you. Yeah, I can write more Chinese characters than you. Yeah, I can tell you what expression to use in this situation. And you know what? I can even tell you that you are holding your chopsticks the wrong way!

See, if someone told me that I'm more Thai than Thai, I would take it as "Hey dude, chill. We're Thai and we're OK with slip ups, changes, turning things around a bit, it's 2017 so whatever." It would make me stop and think and I wouldn't brag about it. But if someone quietly says I'm behaving like a Thai person than I might take it as compliment that I have managed to somehow adapt to their culture or the very least not screw things up. Another loaded example: "You speak Thai very well or Khun phuut paasa Thai kheng maaak. This one can be interpreted in more than one way and is not necessarily a compliment. I never really know how to respond to it except to say "thank you" and "my Thai is not that great and I'm still learning."

[fountainhall]

I think you may have been trying to score a cheap shot.

BTW, perhaps you would like to introduce us all to the concept of "face" in China.

Lol

Thanks a447, but it's not so funny, really. The fact is that sglad's cover was blown when he wrote about Chinese New Year for what he wrote could not have been true. For it's clear I know the Chinese better than he does. And I'll leave it at that. But let's recall that in a response to a post by sglad it was bobsaigon2 who was the first to raise the spectre of a Beachlover earlier in this thread!