A few of FR's Finest....Every Day...05-06-03...A Lesson in Chinese

Billie; FreeTheHostages | Profile written by FreeTheHostages

[MeekOneGOP]

Hey, I'll be back shortly. I gotta take my bird for a walk . . .

[The Thin Man]

Ni hao, Exit148. Welcome to the Finest!

I love how you got the Chinese tourist to hold hold up the "Clinton / Gore Lies" sign. LOL!

[Billie]

You two are too much! But don't stop!

[Billie]

Ok, Lotus Moon Cakes? Is that good? :) (Are THOSE good, maybe I should say?)

[LadyX]

HONG KONG
Seating & Dining Customs


If a Chinese dinner has been arranged in a restaurant, the host will usually sit nearest the kitchen or service door. Then he will be in the least-favored position - sitting where the waiter will stand while serving individual portions of food (the waiter's "mark" being his serving utensils laid on the table). Some hosts, however, seat their most junior guests or family members at this slightly awkward spot so that the host can talk more easily to guests on either side of him. It is also becoming more common for hosts to sit next to foreign guests of honor.

Should you find yourself in one of the "junior" seats on either side of the server's position, take comfort from the fact that your fellow diners are either even more "important" or older than you and you are honored to be sitting with them, or your host has flattered you by deciding you are one of the least status-conscious guests!

Whatever your table position is, you may be expected to make at least one toast during the meal - to the course which is about to commence, if necessary, when everyone else has used up all socially-acceptable topics of mutual esteem! Every person stands up for a moment, raises his or her glass, and finds out who has the strongest constitution!

Taking one's turn is also expected for tea-pouring at smaller gatherings where each guest leans over or rises to fill fellow-diners' tea cups. The almost surreptitious finger-tapping on the table that greets the pouring service is said to date back to a ploy invented by a Qing Dynasty emperor. While making an incognito tour of South China, the emperor visited a teahouse. In order to maintain his cover as an ordinary member of a party of travelers, the emperor took his turn at pouring tea for his companions. They started to acknowledge this astonishing honor by bowing in the usual fashion but the emperor told them they could simply tap the table with three fingers - two of which would represent their prostrate limbs, while the third finger would symbolize their bowed heads. The custom survives in Hong Kong and South China as a silent token of thanks for the gesture.

Other, older habits have been known to make some visitors a little uncomfortable when not used to fellow diners slurping their soup, laying discarded bones on the tablecloth, and audibly making a meal of a meal.

The second habit is dying out now that most restaurants provide side-plates for bones but it is still possible to see waiters clearing a table by sweeping everything into the middle of a tablecloth - rice bowls, chopsticks, bones and all - in order to have a vacant table as quickly as possible.

As for meal-time noises, they are considered sounds of culinary appreciation, the slurping of soup also being an acceptable way of cooling it down before it burns the tongue.

[Billie]

How about one of these hats for wolfie today? LOL!

NOOOOOOO!!! LOL

Can you imagine trying to see between all those beads swinging back and forth in front of your face?!

Maybe a coolie hat instead? LOL!

[dutchess]

BREAKING....the USS Abe Lincoln is about to land....families anxiously awaiting on the docks....what a glorious moment for the family and friends! Get thee to a TV finest freepers!

[The Pheonix]

Thanks for a most wonderful, beautifully and tastefully done presentation, it made my day.

And inspired me to shout at the top of my voice:

"Long live the Friendships of the Peoples of the World"

God Bless you all

[Billie]

Oh, such a beautiful arrangement of flowers! Thank you, JustFRiend! So how long did your little 3 year old stay interested in "Maisy" yesterday? :)

[Pippin]

GOOD AFTERNOON FROM THE SOMEWHAT GREAT STATE OF MARYLAND

(WHICH WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD GET RID OF ALL THESE ____ DEMOCRATS THAT PLAGUE OUR WONDERFUL STATE!)

Exit48, Congratulations! But I must warn you about this thread, the folks here are great!

But it's getting to have an international flavor!

I mean, yesterday we were celebrating Cinco-De-Mayo by speaking Spanish and drinking marguritas!

With the "No Saint" Louie wearing a blue sombrerro! LOL!

and a rope skipping panda bear. and poor Martin_Fierro being surrounded by teddybears!

and now we learn Chinese and get Meek speaking that language (I bet it sounds cute with that Texas drawl!) ;O)

and this is a menagerie with bears and dogs and monkeys!

then there are inspirational writings fron Rev Grantswank, he's wonderful!

All in All this thread keeps you in stitches!

oh, lest we forget our very own "grammer Nanny" The Thin Man! TA-DAA!

But with all that said, Welcome to the Finest!

This is from FR's Finest resident hobbit! :O)

[nicmarlo]

finally ot it. LOL

Did you mean: "finally GOT it." ? Louie, I think you'd better quit sipping now! : )

[dutchess]

The first off the ship are the 70 fathers who have not yet met their new babies....(wiping tears off my face) (and actually CNN is giving better coverage than Fox which is showing the Scott Peterson thing...geesh!)

[Exit148]

"I have picked up a little bit of Chinese over the past 5 years that I have known Ming and now her sister Ying. I can SPEAK very limited Chinese, but to READ it? - Zip, Zilch, Nada ! :O("

It's a fun language - especially the characters. It's almost like reading pictures. Well-------almost! LOL!

I used to try and get in some practice time, every day, to keep up on what I had learned -------until I found FR.com!! My Freeper addiction has crept into my study time! (thanks, Jimrob!) One day when I couldn't read a very simple word, I finally put a practice book in front of the keyboard as a reminder!

[Pippin]

GReat! A Wolfie and a rope skipping panda! :O)

[Pippin]

Got excederin?

[LadyX]

Wolfie - you will be right at home in that restaurant, able to slurp your soup..:))

Wonderin' if you need that side plate for bones - or if you consume them, too!

[ST.LOUIE1]

Can you imagine trying to see between all those beads swinging back and forth in front of your face?!

Would be rather difficult. : )

Maybe a coolie hat instead? LOL!

No likie coolie hats. : (

[nicmarlo]

lol!

[Pippin]

A Dancing Chicken?