It’s rainy in New York City today. Rather wet and grey. After completing some of my tasks on hand, I decided to stroll down to downtown: Chinatown area for late lunch. Picked Vietnamese, Pho and some veggies to keep me warm and it’s kind of a comfort food for an Asian dude like me.
While I was slurping my way through the uniform and thinly sliced rice vermicelli in super clear beef consommé, the table next to me caught my attention. I’m Chinese and they are too. Nothing against Chinese as I am one too. What bothered me is they were questioning the server on items on the menu when it is screaming with trilingual languages printed on the menu – English, Vietnamese and Traditional Chinese.
Maybe I interpreted it completely wrong or that I didn’t get the entire conversation between the neighboring table and the server. My immediate reaction was that it is either they are illiterate or Traditional Chinese doesn’t register to them as a known language/character set?
I’ve learned my Chinese in the Traditional Chinese character set. I think it’s a beauty, especially when it’s in calligraphy. It’s a work of art for those who are able to compose calligraphy in Traditional Chinese characters. Those in the know can interpret it like it’s a dancing line across the page that makes it more like a painting than calligraphy.
What’s mind-bogging to me is that the neighboring table probably have no idea how to read the Traditional Chinese character set but only the simplified character set, maybe? I have no idea what’s the policy in language skills in China – but what’s the deal with having both character sets?
That reminds me that I saw a print advertisement in Hong Kong right before I moved back with China Mobile Limited (中国移动通信) slapped all over the MTR (subway/metro). The brand logo is in simplified character set and the content of the advertisement was in traditional character set. It’s blatantly screaming confusion to me. I have no idea how to read Simplified Chinese characters – I only guessed it because of the logo…
The question comes to mind is: as China consolidates the regions of Hong Kong and Macau as a Special Administration Region and maybe Taiwan adds to the list – does it mean that in order to be Chinese, One has to learn both Traditional and Simplified character sets? As more and more Chinese travel back and forth between these regions, what is the standard?
I’m just imagining how would the Simplified character set in calligraphy look like? To be honest, I’ve never seen any calligraphy art that is written in the simplified character set. Does it mean that Chinese calligraphy art relies on the remaining three regions to pass on the tradition and heritage?
To further the question is: Chinese prides ourselves with recorded history of 4000+ years and what had Communism changed that history into…?
Food for thought for all Chinese…
While the food is all in my tummy, so was the food on my neighboring table. I paid cash and the usual 15% gratuity. My neighbor paid with a credit card. He stroked off the gratuity and left it as that. The server had to indirectly ask: “You’ll be leaving cash tips?” Not until then that the neighbor realize he had to leave a tip.
Just a note to everyone who’s traveling – to save yourself from embarrassment is to pickup a Lonely Planet guide, or log on to Tripadvisor.com, plus there are plenty of travel sites/blogs that gives basic information of any country that you may be visiting.
Embarrassment aside, I do think it’s a common courtesy and a show of respect to the locals of the destination that you’re visiting. Hey, everyone makes mistakes. I do too. I’m sure there are instances that I wasn’t showing my utmost best behavior and general etiquette over a night of drinking. But we’re talking over lunch here…
I hate to address this too – the credit card that the neighbor used was obviously issued in China because it had the “Union Pay” logo on it. Note to those who don’t know – it’s basically the same as “CIRRUS and PLUS” logos that you see on ATM machines. You’ll find CIRRUS and PLUS logos on almost everywhere you travel, but not the “Union Pay” as the RMB/Yuan is ‘still’ not considered as an international currency but the credit cards that carry the “Union Pay”, issued by banks in China, are everywhere. It’s a matter of time that you’ll see this “Union Pay” slapped next to “CIRRUS and PLUS” but until then, China needs to address the issue of when they’ll raise the value of the RMB/Yuan and/or unpeg the Hong Kong Dollar to the US Dollar.
Since I’m at it, it amazing how Hong Kong began BOTH consumer and commercial banking facilities that allows savings and checking accounts to even saving instruments such as fixed deposits in both currencies: Hong Kong Dollar and RMB/Yuan; with the convenience to withdrawal in any banks with the “Union Pay” and the long time “CIRRUS and PLUS” logos. Go figure how that works for the People’s Bank of China to manipulate the FOREX markets? That goes to also say how much of the ‘Basket of Currencies’ that the People’s Bank of China is holding via Hong Kong?
Thoughts from Arnold 