[Previous entry: "Ba Ji Chuan"] [Next entry: "Hmm"]
02/10/2006: "Taboo?"
I am an asshole.
I talk to chinese people and tell them everything that they want to hear, just to get their reactions. I am trying to learn the culture first hand, so I am saying everything that puts these people into uncomfortable situations.
This is the best way to learn a culture at the expense of ruining some people.
An example:
I recently learned the word for mad cow disease, and ocassionaly I tell people that I have it then start tweaking out. It is funny to me to see their reactions, and I promptly tell them that I dont really have it.
I also learned the word for homosexual, and I try to figure out whether or not it is taboo. There are no good books on chinese taboos so I am trying to figure them out first hand.
When I go to restaurants I sometimes order DRAGON meat to see peoples reactions.
I tell people that I am japanese and see how they react. When someone is being nice to you and smiling, and they ask where you are from and you answer with, "Tokyo, Japan", their smile fades very fast.
Recently, I have been asking people how much they make at their jobs. The highest that I have been told is 700 yuan or about 90 US dollars a month. That person was a doctor.
Ron