User Comments - pearltowerpete
pearltowerpete
Posted on: I want coffee!
December 10, 2008 at 2:24 AMHave any poddies' coffee drinking habits changed since coming to China?
I used to be a Nescafe man 雀巢咖啡 (quècháo kāfēi) --literally Sparrow's nest-- but these days it's just black tea 红茶 (hong2cha2) for me.
Posted on: Borrowing Money
December 10, 2008 at 2:04 AMHi light487
Thanks for a good idea for a future Qing Wen.
I asked Jiaojie about the face issue. If you are not close to someone, it's OK to find an excuse not to lend them any money. But if a good friend asks you for a loan and you refuse, you will feel humiliated, 不够意思. If it's in your power to lend the money, you should.
Posted on: 普通人的慈善
December 10, 2008 at 1:26 AMHi furong
NGOs of all types are not nearly as widespread here as in many places. This could be due to the fact that the CCP started out as an NGO and knows how much they can influence events.
Especially when many of the worst polluters have powerful friends in the local governments, Chinese envirnomental protection is not terribly robust. However, I can think of a few activists off the top of my head-- a guy who tried to protest the pollution of 太湖 , and a group that monitors water pollution in Western China. I respect these activists' willingness to act when others ignore the problems. If there is any hope for a livable China in the next fifty years, we will have them to thank for it.
There has been an excellent series in the NY Times called Choking on Growth (with articles translated into Chinese, and with MP3s!). The Washington Monthly and Atlantic Monthly have offered much more optimistic coverage of this vital issue.
Posted on: Using 除了。。。以外 (Chúle... Yǐwài)
December 10, 2008 at 1:13 AMHi wzteachers
I guess I'd say 也许他们是巨人 for They Might Be Giants but yours is pretty good :-)
I don't know that band but I believe a certain John Pasden is a fan.
Posted on: Using 除了。。。以外 (Chúle... Yǐwài)
December 10, 2008 at 1:12 AMHi emeryj
Great to hear from you! Sitting here in chilly but not snowy Shanghai, it's hard to believe that I'll be in Upstate New York in less than two weeks.
Posted on: Christmas Promotion
December 10, 2008 at 12:14 AMHi furong
I'm like a human fortune cookie.
Here's the best message I ever got from one of them:
HELP, I'm trapped in a fortune cookie factory ;-)
Posted on: Borrowing Money
December 10, 2008 at 12:10 AMHi Bill
I completely understand your not wanting to use the translations. If they become a crutch, letting you kid yourself that you understand a sentence, they are doing way more harm than good. Our final goal is to understand Chinese in Chinese terms.
Many listeners do find them useful as a way of confirming their own interpretation.
And let me say again that there may be several correct interpretations of a given sentence or phrase. That's especially true for the expansion sentences, which have little context. If any poddies have a different translation of something, post in the comments section and we'll talk about it.
Posted on: Christmas Promotion
December 9, 2008 at 9:41 AMHi qingwa
It's certainly fine if you want to use it yourself.
But we encourage you to give a friend the gift of learning.
Happiness shared is doubled, sorrow shared is halved.
Posted on: Mobile Repairmen and AZERDocMom
December 9, 2008 at 6:15 AMHi changbiyuan
Are you talking about the guys who pull the 破烂车 po4lan4che1 junk wagons, collecting old computers, appliances, etc? In my area, their standard schtick is: 回收，彩电，冰箱，空调，旧电脑，洗衣机.
These things aren't going to be "recycled" in the sense of being broken down and then remade into new stuff. Rather, they will be repaired and then sold in poor rural areas.
It is understandable that you can't make out what they're saying, as they often have strong 乡下 rustic accents. Sometimes they call out in the local dialect, as well, not in Mandarin.
Posted on: I want coffee!
December 10, 2008 at 3:08 AMHi changye
I agree, I have nothing against the taste of Nescafe. But I was drinking too much of it, just to get high.
In Shanghai, the best cup of coffee you can get at a restaurant is probably 85度-- 85 degrees, a Taiwanese chain store. Anyway, at 8 yuan for a cup, it's got the best 性价比 xìngjiàbǐ -- price performance.
And here's my gripe about the otherwise lovely Mr. Donut-- they never put real milk in the coffee. They just helpfully steer you to the little tubs of rat milk er, Coffee Mate.