Culture Shock 2 and Rain

Saying that we've replaced here in Hong Kong massive humidity with massive rain, I thought I would write about a recent eating experience here.

I always took some pride that I am a "White Man" who can use chopsticks. I hate eating Chinese food any other way- it just doesn't feel correct.

Well, I learned very abruptly that I have much to learn about Chinese etiquette.

Yesterday while eating, I was out with my Buddy from Hong Kong - a local student who's assigned to check on us while we're here in Hong Kong. We went out to eat and usually I have no trouble going out for Cantonese.

Anyways, after we finish, we were talking about manners and stuff, I am not sure how it came up, but anyways, he brought up "there are two things you need to learn about eating with Chinese."

Ut-oh.

He told me that using Chopsticks with your left hand is considered very rude and unrefined. I guess the Putonghua word for left handed, or 左, basically means "out of accord" or even worse, "illegal."

Now, I'm left handed, strongly left handed, I do everything left handed, except throw a baseball, oddly (maybe if I threw left-handed I wouldn't be so bad at sports ha-ha). Using my right hand to eat with chopsticks could never happen. I never knew being left handed would be such a cultural taboo. How to fix this... hmmm.

Also, in Chinese eating, you usually get several dishes and share between many people. You pull some from each dish and so on. Well, it's always been common for when I go out for Chinese, and I cannot grab a piece of vegetable or something, I will just try for the next piece.

Not Here. You're committed to that chicken piece once your chopsticks touch it. Call it food marriage, if you wish. Again, you can't grab a piece; you're basically an idiot.

So, I guess I am still the barbaric white man here in China, no matter how many years I have spent eating Chinese food in the States.

Hope all is well, until next time, Please Mind the Gap.

~Ken