Is China hard work?

[gougou]

Culture shock is not just a phrase, it's very real.

It is, there are quite some theories about it. Read here, for example; especially the second phase seems quite fitting:

The newcomer has to deal with transportation problems (buses that don't come on time), shopping problems (can't buy favorite foods) or communication problems. One may start to seem like people no longer care about your problems. They may help, but they don't seem to understand your concern over what they see as small problems. You might even start to think that the people in the host country don't like foreigners and are becoming alien.

How long have you been in China already, hakkaboy? Any chance it might still be this phase, or repercussions of it?

[hakkaboy]

How long have you been in China already, hakkaboy? Any chance it might still be this phase, or repercussions of it?

I lived in China for a year in the 1990s, and yes I was younger then. I am older now, and it is more of a strain.

[gato]

Hakkaboy, have you been anywhere else in Asia (except HK which you mentioned)?

[Traveltext]

Just go with the flow. When in China do as the Chinese do. You'll have a lot more fun.

Anyway, you should have been in China 25 years ago. Today, the place is civilized beyond the expectation of us old China visitors.

[geraldc]

I don't understand what's the issue with rice? Are you saying they bring it too early or too late? Normally you just order it bowl by bowl, and it comes when you ask for it. i.e. don't order rice when you order the other dishes, order it after the other dishes have arrived. The most common thing you'll hear in Cantonese restaurants is people saying don't eat rice, eat the other dishes, i.e. rice is cheap, and you can have that at home, eat the good expensive stuff instead.

[Lu]

I'm used to eating the dishes with the rice, so I want the rice to come at the same time as the dishes. In many Beijing restaurants, you have to explicitly ask the waitress to do that, or they'll bring the rice after you're finished the dishes. I don't think it's a big deal to ask that every time, but apparently Hakkaboy is annoyed by it.

Geraldc, I guess you can also order the rice when the dishes start to arrive, but when you're ordering anyway you might as well order the rice at the same time as the dishes.

[roddy]

Edited to remove pointless discussion. * 3

You wrote it

The edit function is for the addition of extra info, correction of errors, etc. It's not a get-out-clause for posting stuff you later realise you don't want to.