Culture is a very interesting phenomenon, it exists wherever there's people, especially in an urban area such as New York City. There are many different cultures and subcultures in NYC and thus the name "The Melting Pot." As you can tell by my name, I am Chinese and given that I spent the first 11 years of my life in China, I can assure you, there are many differences between the Chinese and the American culture.
First off, there are the different eating utensils. As you probably know already from dining in Chinese restaurants, we use chopsticks instead of knives and forks. Also, there is a huge difference in the food. While a typical American dinner is consist of salad, pasta, steak, and soup, a traditional Chinese dinner would include a dish of fried vegetable, seafood, meat, soup and rice.
Besides the obvious differences, there are many invisible differences between the two cultures. For example, unlike the Americans who express their love and caring for family members through hugs and kisses, the Chinese are less intimate when it comes to expressing love.
Last but not least, there is the different dress code between the Chinese culture and the American. For instance, during holidays such as New Year, Chinese people are big fans of red clothing to the extent that they even wear red under clothes because red is a sign of luck to them while the Americans are not as superstitious.
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I've got to say, the whole expressing love is SO incredibly different between the Chinese and American! Raised in America, I was exposed to American parents saying "I love you" to their kids before they left them off to school. Phone calls to family would be ended with a kiss or another "I love you." A kiss on the cheek as a greeting, a hug, just some form of expression of love. But this does not happen to traditional Chinese people. "I love you" is not said; it's too "mushy" or even embarrassing. A kiss hello is nonexistent. My mom is so not used to greeting people who lean in for a kiss that she pretty much freezes up when that happens. Hugs, especially if it's to friends the opposite sex, are avoided. Living in America all my life, I actually like the American's way of expressing their love for friends and family as opposed to the Chinese. Hugs are always welcomed, kisses on the cheeks are given, and I love my friends.
ReplyDeleteI can also say the same thing for what you have mentioned for LOVE. In my family, it is very rare for us to actually say "I love you" aloud to each other. I think many Chinese people, especially those that haven't adapted to the American culture, tend to be more reserved and hesitant when it comes to expressing love. Many times, in America when friends see each other, that would give each other hugs, as if they don't see each other often. On the other hand, from what I have observed, Chinese people would usually go for a handshake or something like a semi-hug.
ReplyDeletein my country- Uzbekistan, people used to not bother about forks, knives, or chopsticks...they used it with bare hands :)))
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