Nobu’s Weblog

27 / 11 /2009

Recently I read an interesting article in a Japanese bi-monthly magazine called “Concierge” about how Japanese living in HKG are thinking of HKG people or what Japanese people found out about HKG people and their habits. This article contains different topics like dining, business, life, friendship, relationship and wedding/funeral.
Reading this article I was aware of different cultures and habit. A HKG-habit might be impolite in Japan, but “normal” in HKG. Well, I would like to pick one point to share and discuss with you.
(CN = CHINA; GE = GERMANY; HKG = HONG KONG; JP = JAPAN)

“Shells of shrimps, bones or similar will be put on the table.”

MY HKG EXPERIENCE: That’s true! HKG-people often put these just on the table; sometimes they even do not use their hands. When I first came to HKG, I was surprised (゜ロ゜) , when my colleague put a whole chicken wing into his mouth, separated meat and bone in his mouth and split out the bones only on the table! I tried to do it, but it is really difficult. I cannot turn a chicken wing in my mouth! Can you? Using fingers are much easier, but I have been told using fingers are too dirty…
I guess the reason why they put it on the table instead of plate is, because only eatable things can be put on plate.
I have also realized that HKG dishes contain much more bones than e.g. Japanese food. I guess this is because a) it is more delicious and b) the local knives can cut bones easily. So they do not bother themselves to take out the bones. I am used to eat dishes with fewer bones, so eating HKG dishes could sometimes really annoying me, since I need to be aware of bones every time (It is not relaxing at all!). Otherwise one day my teeth might break.
Some restaurants serve some small plate for everyone, where bones and shells can be collected.

MY CN EXPERIENCE: Nearly 10 years ago my parent gave me the great opportunity to take part at the exchange program in China. At the time I have experienced that bones and shells have been split UNDER the table. So you can imagine how my shoes look like after a meal! (^-^;　・・・・

MY JPN EXPERIENCE: In general Japanese food does not contain so many bones and shells as HKG dishes. Served food is ready and also easy to eat or easy to cut with chopsticks (e.g. Fish). We use chopsticks to separate meat from bones.
Shells or bones will be collected in a common bowl on the table or they will be left in one corner of your own plate. Chicken wings will be eaten by using chop sticks. If you cannot manage it, you can put down your chopsticks and use your fingers.

MY GE EXPERIENCE: Bones will be separated by fork and knife. As I can remember in Germany I seldom eat chicken wing (as a German dish). It was always a fillet. Shells or bones will be collected in a common bowl on the table or they will be left in one corner of your own plate.

What is your experience? What is the habit in your country?

Chinese Name sounds different and may difficult to remember or write especially for European foreigners. In order to make life and communication (e.g. in business) easier, pupils in China will get an English name already during their school time: Either they can choose by themselves or teacher will choose the name for them.

In Hong Kong there is the same practice. Local young or middle aged people DO have an English name.

Sometimes very “special” and unique name will be chosen. In some countries as Japan, some of the names will be also forbidden (e.g. Devil). But in China and Hong Kong there there seems to be not any restrictions. Here are some true examples:

My Chinese first love when I was 16 was Coco, because he likes Coco Pops.
A girl named Pandora does not know the Greek Story of “Pandora Box”, but the Canadian brand of Cosmetics.
Some of our clients and friends are called Alki (German slang description for somebody who is addicted to alcohol), Ice Cream, Candy, Devil, Clerk, Cherry, Cinderella,  …
Last time I met a young men, called Peter Pan, in the train from China to Hong Kong!

Please also refer to the show by SexyBeijingTV “Lost in translation” . “Sexy Beijing is a show about love, lust, youth culture and street life in China’s capital. In this episode, our heroine Su Fei goes around Beijing, asking Chinese people what their English names are, and why they need them.”

Should there too many “Angel”s in the company, the manager may also ask you to change your name! This is unbelievable in Germany!
Btw my Chinese name is Sasa! My friend took the last character of my real name and just double it. It will be written same as the Cosmetics Shop in Hong Kong.

Everyone who attended So Mei’s funeral on 2009-03-03, got a small envelopment with a green candy, one tissue paper and one Hong Kong Dollar Coin. I have been advised to use and/or eat them all, before I arrive home.

It remembers me to funeral in Japan. I got a small envelopment with salt inside. I did not know what I should do with. So after the funeral I went home. My mother got a little bit “panic” and pushed me out of the house. She explained to me that I need to place the salt in the left and right corner of the entrance door BEFORE I enter the house, so that the bad soul/dead cannot enter in the house. Otherwise dead will enter the house and somebody will die soon. That’s why we also need to return to home directly from the funeral. We should not go for shopping or post office.

I am wondering what kind of meaning the candy and the tissue paper have…. The one dollar coin represents a single case.

CANDY
Shortly after I attend the funeral I ate the candy. It was extremely sweet and also not tasty. But well, this candy is not to be meant as a delicious sweet – I guess it is a symbol of funeral. Maybe I thought it was as not tasty, because I was not in dark mood.
The color of the candy was green. In Germany green is the meaning of “hope”. May be it is the same here.

TISSUE PAPER
During the funeral I have not used it, since I was using my handkerchief. After the funeral I was thinking how to use it, because it is a waste of the tissue paper to throw it away w/o using it before, right? While I was running and looking around, my nose started to run, so I used the tissue paper and threw it away.

ONE DOLLAR COIN
I was thinking how I can spend the one dollar. Well in HKG you cannot find something for one dollar. I do not want to buy sweets, and I also do not want to buy food, since I feel very strange to spend the money from So Mei for food, which we cannot eat together. However, finally I have decided to spend the one dollar for something useful rather than unnecessary staff, because of So Mei. Otherwise it will be very impolite towards her. I went to an totally empty restaurant (usually this is a sign that the food is not good, but this moment I did not care, just want to have silent around me) and ordered a dinner set. I was not hungry at all, although I did not eat so much that day. So it takes me 2 hours to finish the meal. It was not noisy, so I was able to think, to go deep inside of me. After a “M goi, mai dan” (Excuse me, Bill please!) I have received the bill of 65 HKD. I gave the kind waitress a 60 HKD note and 5 dollar coin. When I was going to leave the restaurant, I recognized that something is in my hand. I opened it and discover the one dollar coin. I called the waitress “deng yi deng” (Wait!) back, gave her the one dollar coin and went home.

Last week my mother rang me up.  She told me that my cup - which my friend gave me to my 20th Birthday – suddenly slipped out of her hand and now is broken. She felt very strange and rand me up to ask me how I am. I told her that our friend and paddle buddy So Mei suddenly passed away. At that time I did not know what happened. I was shocked, confused and sad. According to her face book’s entries, she must have died very suddenly.

Last Tuesday I went to her funeral. It was the first time I went to a funeral of my friend; it was also my first time to attend a Chinese funeral. Her dead body has been covered by a golden and red blanket with a lot of symbols, which looks exactly like a swastika. Usually she did not wear a make up, but today she was wearing a thick layer of make up. She looks so unnatural; she looks like a wax figure from the Madame Tussauds. She has not any smile on her face, somehow she looks very lonely.

I was thinking she may have an accident, so that’s why her body needs to be covered and she needs to wear such a make up. But I have been informed that this is habitat of the religion.

This funeral was different from the others I went before (in Germany, Italy and Japan). People came, bowed, prayed, said to her good bye in person, sit, prayed,bowed and left. There was not any ceremony. The room was tiled – it looks like a big bathroom, which makes the atmosphere very cold. The room was full of flowers from friends, from business partners and sport teams.

When I arrived the funeral building I met our coaches. They friendly “took care” of me and guided me how to behave. I was not that afraid any more. Although they left after 30 minutes, I have stayed in this room for nearly 2 hours. I was thinking and talking to So Mei.

These days Dragon Boat Racing is a kind of traditional “activity” with a historical background. I am interested in such kind of sports and festivals!(｡◕∀◕｡)

The boat is called Dragon Boat, because its shape and its movements (sliding/flying over the sea) look like a dragon. Every boat has a tail, as well as a dragon head, the body has dragon pattern!

When the season is off, dragons  start the hibernation (ー_ー)…zzzZZZZZ and they will be buried into the ground. When the season is coming, they will be alive and wake up ＼(＞◇＜)／ ファァァ from the ground. They are ready for the competitions as well as the riders (=paddlers). Most of the paddlers start to train in early spring.

Starting from May to October there will be a lot of competitions, but I guess the biggest highlight and magnet for tourist is the Dragon Boat Festival (Tuen Ng Festival) on the Fifth moon of each year according to the Chinese Moon Calendar.

It seems there a lot of stories about the origin. I do not know which one is true, but I will tell you what I have heart. Over thousand years ago there was a very loyal servant “Qu Yuan” and an emperor, who trusted and relied totally on him. The other servants got jealous, so they spread out a rumor and told the emperor that this servant had imposed on him. Unfortunately this emperor believed in these rumors, the servant got very disappointed and committed suicide by jumping into the Mi Lo river. Towns’ people DID know that he was a very good and loyal servant and did not believe in the rumors. They beat drums to scare the fishes, threw dumplings into the water and drove the dragon-shaped-boats in order to keep away the fish from Qu Yuan’s dead body.

During the Tuen Ng Festival these dumplings Zongzi  粽子(sticky rice with meat and egg wrapped in bamboo leaves, soooooo yummy~) will be eaten! You should also try it!

The Dragon Boat Festival in 2009 will be on the 28th of May! Mark this in your calender! See you guys there! For details, please have a look at official page of DiscoverHongKong.