I’ve been in China long enough to get past the point of having very many “bad China days”, but every now and then getting a few pet peeves off my chest isn’t a bad thing. Here’s the latest in an irregular series:
1. If for whatever reason I don’t answer my phone, it means (a) I have it on silent mode because I am busy (b) I don’t want to talk to you for some reason or (c) I don’t like having phone conversations at 8am on Saturdays. It doesn’t mean that if you keep calling, over and over, eventually on the 44th ring I’ll decide to pick up. I realize this problem exists because few people here have voice mail, but could you wait for one hour at least before trying again?
2. If I give you a 100 kuai note to settle a 60 kuai tab, is it really necessary to give me a dirty look because you can’t be bothered to make change?
3. No, the whole restaurant doesn’t want to hear you shouting to your friend on your cell-phone.
4. Waitresses: please remember what dishes are unavailable. Twice recently (at a Western-owned restaurant no less) I’ve ordered a meal only to have a waitress come back 20 minutes later to inform me that they’ve run out, and that I would have to order something else. This really is a management issue but it isn’t very pleasant when your table-mate is able to finish his whole meal before yours even arrives.
5. To the wonderful, beautiful Chinese women I know: it isn’t hot when its 24 degrees C. And it won’t kill you to sit in the sun, either.
That’s enough for now.
Comments 6
Not a few hours after I read your post I experienced number one.
Posted 23 Feb 2008 at 4:44 pm ¶A Chinese friend left my apartment to go out for a bit and left his phone at my place. Somebody tried to call so I politely ‘rejected the call’. The friend of the friend proceeded to call immediately after every rejection about 5 times in 5 minutes!
What did he end up needing to talk about? Oh nothing, just wondering what my friend was up to.
Craziness.
No kidding on the phone one. I even opted to keep the obnoxious Kenny G ringback tone that China Mobile randomly gave me, on the assumption that it would deter repetitive callers, but no luck.
Posted 23 Feb 2008 at 4:55 pm ¶A corollary to this particular complaint: why do people not send text messages? More than once I’ve gotten 12 calls, lasting 10 rings apiece, from some mystery caller who doesn’t realize that I would be a lot likelier to answer the phone if I knew who it was.
Too true. my man.
Posted 25 Feb 2008 at 8:28 am ¶1. Please understand that the phone is for my convenience, not yours.
2. Everyday, mate. Come on, really… you don’t even have a register. Put your hand in your flour dusted hipsack and count out thirty two RMB!
3.Neither does the bus, the elevator, nor the hospital. Although, I would appreciate it if someone, anyone of Chinese decent would treat the waitresses with a modicum of respect instead of yelling ‘Shao Jia’ at the top of their lungs. I don’t want to hear that either.
4. Get an 86 board.I hate eating ten minutes after my girlfriend is finished with her meal.
5. Brown is beautiful!
Here’s another pet peeve: Chinese staff answering their cell phones in the middle of important meetings, like with a clients/customers or their bosses. For several minutes it is as though you stopped existing for them and the call is the most important thing. I constantly have to tell my staff this is not just bad manners – this is a real career killer. But they don’t seem to get it. Maybe I need to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.
Posted 25 Feb 2008 at 8:31 am ¶Crazy,
Yeah- ditto on the cell phone thing. This actually used to bother me a lot more awhile back but I’ve gotten used to it, I suppose. The one place it still rankles me most is in the cinema, where once after telling someone to stop talking I heard him say “oh, look there’s a foreigner telling me to stop talking!” which made me turn temporarily homicidal.
The best way to combat this, in my experience, is by setting a good example yourself. In class or in meetings I switch my phone off. Even when I’m having a meal with a friend of mine, I often tell people who call that I’m busy at the moment and will call back later. I doubt any of my friends will see the wisdom of my ways, but at least I don’t have to conform to behavior that I find somewhat objectionable.
Todd,
Good points my man. Although the waitress thing is sort of a Catch-22 because if you don’t shout you’ll literally be ignored. How many restaurants have their staff roam around and inquire about your meal? I suppose we’re spoiled Americans who are used to hyper-attentive service, but none of us would even think about shouting at a waitress back in the States, and if we did I’m sure we’d be pretty severely reprimanded.
Also, the “xiao jie” thing is quite interesting because it means different things in different parts of China. I remember when I first got to Kunming I said “xiao jie” to a waitress and got a dirty look…here it means something a bit more squalid than “young lady”. As a result, I go with the safe and gender- neutral “fu wu yuan” (service person)
Posted 25 Feb 2008 at 9:07 am ¶Ay, fuwuyuan is your safest bet. “xiaojie”, depending on context, can imply “prostitute”. I believe a more appropriate term for Kunming, with the same “young woman” meaning as “xiaojie”, would be Ashima. I recommend you tactfully check with a local woman before you try it, though.
Posted 25 Feb 2008 at 2:43 pm ¶Trackbacks & Pingbacks 1
Not So Random China Complaints…
Funny, yet informative post up on Matt Schiavenza Blog, entitled, “Random Complaining.” Methinks it is not so random. Schiavenza lists five rants and I focus on the following two: — If for whatever reason I don’t answer my phone, it means (a) I ha…
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