AVC: The Chinese Drinking Culture

*MIGRATED FROM ANDY VS CHINA ARCHIVES*

Hey Everyone,

I realize that it has been a long time since I've mentioned anything particular about Chinese culture. So here I am to remedy that with what I hope will be an in depth look into why I sometimes wake up with no stomach lining.

As you may or may not know the whole of Chinese society is built upon the concept of 'face'. The worst thing you could possibly do is to make someone else 'lose face'. That means to never make them look bad or to embaress them. The lunch/dinner table is the greatest conduit for the making of or losing of 'face'.

The host has to do anything in their power to make other people think that it was the best meal they've ever had. Which is why they wil lalways say 'Eat more' and 'Drink more.'

An easy way to make sure people enjoy themselves is through the use of alcohol. Now this is purely not true. If you ever sit at one of these tables with a group of Chinese you can clearly see the displeasure on their face everytime they take a sip of spirits. But, it's all about who can drink more and who can give the most 'cheers' to other people.

At these meals you must constantly raise your glass to other people. Usually it is one person at a time. If you do not cheers with everyone then those other people will think they aren't important because they did not merit one. If you cheers too much with one person in particular then that person will be very happy.

If you do not enjoy drinking the best thing to do is try not to drink more than the other people, let somebody else win. And if you're a man you will be expected to drink, women are luckier because they are less pressured into it, unless they are a very special guest. If you happen to make the mistake of winning at one of these dinners let me paint a picture of what might happen with one of my own recent experiences.

Friday 25/11/2005 -

Going to local western restaurant for lunch. Once there see a group of associates getting ready for lunch. They invite you to join them. They provide you one shot glass and one 70ml bottle of 60% rice spirits. They choose you as the victim and constantly raise their cups to you. Later they have all drunk one small bottle and you have drunk three. There is no spirits left and you aren't completely drunk, they cannot let this be, because you have drunk three times as much as they have. So they order a full cup of Whiskey equalling about a quater of bottle in one cup, leaving you no room to put some cola with it. You drink all of this too and still have enough mobility to teach two classes an hour later. The hosts' mission now is to make you drunk at all costs and invite you for a larger meal in two days.

Now some people will think how do I get out of this situation? That's easy, you must be first to cheers with them always, have a group cheers instead of it being one on one. This will ensure that you all drink the same amount. If you can't get out of it then just hope they will leave it there.

Sunday 27/11/2005 -

You go to the same restaurant as they had asked. You see that there are three times as many people as there were last time. The table is full of your favourite dishes, but you won't be able to touch much of them, you need to focus your energy on the upcoming battle. You are introduced to several new people. Study them well, because one of these people will be there for the sole purpose of drinking you under the table. This person will soon make themselves known. They fill a wine glass with rice spirits a nice 55% brew. You have the opening group cheers and see that this the kind of spirit that burns your throat. A few more toasts later and half of it is gone. This is when the aforementioned person will make their own cheers. 'Gan le!' or bottoms up he will say. You reluctantly put the glass to your mouth and empty the contents. You have trouble breathing for a brief moment. BIG MISTAKE! This is when they will come over and fill the cup again and you cannot protest.

So it starts again with the new cup, by the time you reach the middle you get that familiar feeling in your stomach. It is a sign you should pay attention to. If you are forced into another 'gan le' then you will soon be making a mad dash for the toilet. This is where you buy time, the toast will come and you start talking out of your arse about some culture from your country about drinking. Or say because you are better than I you should drink more. ANYTHING you say will buy you some time.

So here is the gross part. You are now intent on being the winner having gotten this far. Only problem is the 200ml of spirit that is sitting in your stomach. You have to get rid of it if you want to stay in the game. Excuse yourself to the bathroom and empty the contents of your stomach. Now you have the advantage, the spirits have been finished on the table. The best thing you can do is to suggest the next type of alcohol, my personal choice is beer. It should be something light that you know you can drink well. But, once you make the move to beer there is no more sipping. It's a full cup each time or half a bottle to be specific. After a while people will start leaving the table and you should be the only one left. The others will be completely drunk and proclaim what an excellent drinker you are. They will also think twice before challenging you again. The most important thing is that everyone has had a good time. The non-drinkers will enjoy watching this performance and the drinkers will enjoy a great piss up.

I've been told the drinking is important, because usually the people don't have much to say at the table to each other. Alcohol is there to bridge the gap between people.

The Chinese though are under the opinion that unless you are Chinese you can never understand the culture or to do the same as them. A usual question to me is "How long have you been here?", I will reply "About two years now." To which they will reply "Have you gotten used to it yet?"

Numerous other questions I get asked after telling them how long I've been here:

"Do you like China?"
"Do you like Chinese food?"
"Can you use chopsticks?" (This is the one I loathe the most.)
"Ni Hui Shuo Zhong Guo Hua Ma?" (Can you speak Chinese?)
I usually reply "Wo Bu Hui Shuo Zhong Guo Hua." (I can't speak Chinese.)

Also you'll have to sit there faking interest as they explain part of the culture that you've already heard many times before.

So if you're ever put into this kind of situation you must be well prepared otherwise your stomach will feel ten times worse than mine is feeling right this moment.

Andy Scott

AVC: November, I Hardly Knew Ye.

*MIGRATED FROM ANDY VS CHINA ARCHIVES*

Looks like 2005 is trying to speed things up a bit and finish this year as quickly as possible. Maybe it's for the best, it didn't quite live up to expectations from 2004.
But, are the events of the eleventh month worth mentioning in a post? Let's find out...

Started off the month with the regular insecurities that developed in October considering next year. Still not quite sure what the future lies and I have around 70 days left on my current contract. After weeks of thinking about it, my mind is unbelievably considering staying another year in Guang Hua. I've run all the possible situations through my head a number of times and most of the answers come out as Guang Hua on top. Maybe I'm just too comfortable and lazy to pack up and start again. Then again there's no rule saying I can't stay.

Possible good news is that we WILL get a new foreign teacher in February after all. The school is tyring to get out of these Feb-Feb contracts, because it means that for half a year the students get a different teacher than the other half of the year. I'll be going over resumes next week and choosing only the suitable candidates. Though I think most people don't list their drinking capabilities on their CV. If any of you are interested in working here let me know.

Going to start planning for our Christmas and New Years parties. Our Western/Chinese restaurant has agreed to try and cook whatever recipes we give them. Have to try and get an even larger stockpile of fireworks for New Years this time too.

I got my palm read today. There was no "Oh my god!" when the man looked at my hand, so I immediately took that as a sign of good fate. They have a different system of palm reading than we have in the west. So, the lines weren't where I expected them to be. Basically he said I would always have money, but would rarely be able to save it. He also said that during the early part of my life I'll be working my arse off for little pay and later on will find success. But, of the main points he kept reflecting upon was that this year is my turning point and that next year things should start getting better. He said that no matter what I did this year I wouldn't succeed at anything. Thanks for the late notice! He also said that before the end of the year I am going to experience two experiences of a negative nature, he didn't speculate except that they were going to be really bad. Gives me a lot to look foward to. My future success will depend on how I handle these two situations apparently.

He said that I should start believing in any of the Gods, because God was pissed off that I currently don't believe. Also he 'gave' me a piece of paper that I should carry around with me at all times that will prevent some of the aforementioned problems. Not wanting to take any chances with fate I acepted it. He also said that judging my face he could see I am a kind and gentle man. Though there is a dark shadowy spot above my nose and he seemed concerned about it. Said he would pray for me...
Talk about a mood killer. And I don't see why someone should have to pay for bad fate.

So, apart from two tragedies I can expect in the not too distant future, there is very little that is likely to happen for the remainder of the year. 2006 will come and we'll do the whole thing over again.

Later,
Andy Scott