User Comments - kien

Posted on: Rice First

Another related observation is that in Malaysia, rice is brought out together with the other dishes, but normally last.  The rice is still eaten together with the other meals.  I think the reason for bringing out the rice last is so that it is warm when we start eating.

I can't imagine eating curry dishes without rice.

Posted on: Rice First

Growing up in a Chinese-Malaysian family, we always had rice with our meals.  I'm surprised that the practice in China is to have rice after meals.  In Malaysia, that happens only at banquets, where the last course (before sweets) is usually fried rice or noodles, which is usually not eaten up in full because everyone is so full by then.

Posted on: Farewell, Sweet Pete

All the best Pete.  It has been wonderful to listen to you on ChinesePod.  I will miss listening to you. 

Posted on: How Long Has This Been Going On?

Thanks Peartowerpete.  Interesting observation about the strategic benefits of being ambiguous!  I think that applies to English writing too!  Best.

Posted on: How Long Has This Been Going On?

QingWen is one of my favourite lessons, and the past few episodes have been very helpful for an intermediate learner like me.  Thank you!

I have a question which may or may not be related to QingWen.  I've been reading English translations of Chinese regulations (for work reasons!), and it strikes me that Chinese sentences can be very badly written from a "plain English" perspective.  I realise I'm being presumptuous here, as a non-native speaker.  However, I know that many English sentences are very badly written too, and I would not be surprised if the same applies to Chinese.

My question is this:  Is there a "plain English movement" among native writers of Chinese?  Does China have a George Orwell, who wrote an essay laying down a few rules for good writing?  (Like keeping sentences short, avoiding mixed metaphors, etc.) 

If I am not mistaken, Chinese seem to have a preference for expressing sentences in the passive rather than the active.  Are there any Chinese writers or scholars who would urge that sentences be in the active rather than the passive?

Would it be possible to have a few episodes of QingWen on "good writing" in Chinese? 

Best.

Posted on: Introducing Shen Yajin (Helen)

Dear Pete, thank you for "Poems with Pete".  When you first launched it, I wasn't sure if it would be something I would/could follow.  However, you made it so interesting that I listened to every episode.  I particularly like the insights you bring into Chinese poetry, poets and culture.  You seem to have a wide interest, and I wonder if you will come up with something different next time.  (I'd be interested in your thoughts on Buddhism, Daoism and eastern philosophy generally.)  Best regards, I hope you achieve your scholastic ambitions and help make the world a better place.

Posted on: Does it Have Bones?

I grew up in a town in Malaysia called Klang.  Klang is famous for a Hokkien breakfast called "Bak Kut Teh".  Shops specialise in serving Bak Kut Teh with Chinese tea.  They have an enormous pot of "Bak Kut" (i.e., gutou rou) which is boiled continuously with spices and a dark sauce.  It is served with rice.  The soup that comes along with it is delicious.  We like to dip "yawchakuai" (some kind of crusty deep-fried bread which people in Hong Kong eat with rice porrige - another wonderful breakfast food) in the soup.  I like it very much, but didn't eat Bak Kut Teh often, partly because my dad had high blood pressure, and we assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that Bak Kut Teh would be high in cholestoral.

Would Poddies with a Western background think that having Bak Kut Teh for breakfast is controversial?  I could not enjoy Bak Kut Teh with my Muslim friends, as Bak Kut is always pork based.  But perhaps my Western friends might be willing to try?  (However, Bak Kut Teh doesn't seem to be available in Sydney where I now live.)

When ordering Bak Kut Teh, a customer may be specific about what type of meat (fatty, lean, with bones, etc) he or she wants.

I often see many elderly customers enjoying a long leisurely meal of Bak Kut Teh with their friends in the morning.  It seems a wonderful way to spend one's retirement.

Posted on: You First

Hi Alexyu - yes, Hokkien is Fujian hua (per norfolksalt).  However, I doubt I would be understood by people in Fujian province.  Even within Malaysia (where I grew up), the Hokkien dialect is divided into northern (Penang) and southern (Johor) variations, and my southern Hokkien school mates would laugh at my northern Hokkien. 

Posted on: You First

I have a Hakka father and a Hokkien mother, and we (kids) would say "Pa chi fan" (in Hakka) and "Ma jia bui" (in Hokkien) before digging in. 

When eating with the extended family, we would have to invite our elders, starting with Grandparents, parents, uncles, aunties ... quite a long list ... before we eat.  Fortunately I didn't have to do this with my older brother, and luckily for my youngest cousin, we didn't expect him to invite us to eat. 

You can imagine the noise as all the kids start chanting away at the start of the meal, inviting their elders to start eating.

My mom also taught us kids to invite the servants to eat first, even though in practice they would never eat until we finished the meal.  (The servants will reply "You go ahead".)  Still, I think they appreciated being invited.

My parents, uncles and aunties were very good.  They always invited my grandparents to start eating. 

I'm afraid I somehow grew out of the habit of inviting my elders to start eating.  (Bad Western influence!  Ha ha.)  I should try to get back to it (I think).

Posted on: Gong Xi Fa Cai!

新年快乐.  It's great, and amazing, that ChinesePod keeps generating lessons for us "poddies", all year round, even during Chinese New Year.  Thanks to everyone who stayed back late to make this possible.