Dinner conversation
A city block in China is huge compared to those in North America. Often the area within a Nanchang city block will contain a small maze of streets connecting the random collection of buildings.
Another foreigner introduced me to a small restaurant that was in an area hidden from me until I was introduced to the pedestrian thoroughfare that links two major shopping streets — essentially a shortcut. I’ve now decided this little restaurant has the best eggplant dish I’ve eaten in China. Tonight I decided to show this restaurant to another foreigner.
While sitting together in the small empty restaurant, a Chinese man came into the restaurant to pick up some food to take out. As he walked past us he stared a little bit and casually asked the restaurant owners about their new foreigner customers in the same way someone might ask about the weather. I met his gaze with a polite ”你好“ (hello) and suddenly he was standing over our table and interrupting our conversation with 3 questions:
- Where country are you from?
- Where do you work?
- What is your salary?
Every conversation I have in Nanchang starts with #1 and #2 and usually becomes a chance for the person to ask as much as they can about my personal life. People are curious in cities where foreigners are a rare sight, but it surprises me that no one seems interested in my opinion of their city, or what life is like in other parts of the world. Not that my opinion matters, but instead of talking to people, I find myself being interrogated.
Recently I mentioned on this website about different privacy boundaries held by North Americans and Chinese people. The students of my oral English class think it’s pretty funny that western women would keep their age a secret, let alone lie — even jokingly — that they’d been 30 for the past 10 years. It seems equally amazing to me that a total stranger would ask me about my salary.
November 17th, 2006 at 5:37 am
so what is your salary:)?
November 20th, 2006 at 1:42 am
hi, Justin! i ‘d like to tell you that in fact there are many other small restaurants just like the one you talked about in your writing. many of them are famous for their private dilicious snacks, like a bowl of noodles , wonton, dumplings, fried rice noodles, or just order dishes that made in Nanchang Cuisine which is the traditional cuisine in Nanchang. Nanchang snacks are a must for all visitors. The best places to go to taste the genuine specialties such as Nanchang Rice Noodles and Shitou Jie Mahua are Ruzi Lu and Fuzhou Lu. But if you want to eat some delicious food with little money, i suggest you go to those small restaurants nearby the universities. As for me, i always go to the ‘A LONG” (阿隆） near the north campus. and i know that there are many similar restaurants just behind the business street(商业街） in new campuse. Last Wednesday i tried some local street food there. so if you are here do remember to visit those restaurant, it won’t disappoint you.
November 20th, 2006 at 2:38 am
Where is ‘A LONG’ (阿隆) located? Is it on JiangDa South Road (江大南路) or on Beijing East Road (北京东路)?
I love to try new food. Thanks for the suggestion! 太谢谢你了。
November 20th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
it is located on Nangjing East Road, near the crossroad of the Shanghai North Road and Nangjing East Road.
if you go there, maybe we can have a chance encounter. And do remember inform me, if you go and have a try.