May 29, 2011
-
A minority within a minority
I prefer to do my shopping at night at the local Asian supermarket. I avoid the crowds and get in and out without wasting my time. When I got there a couple of weeks ago, it must have been hairy Asian night. The Asian guys with hairy arms, hairy legs & facial hair outnumbered the smooth skin Asians guys. While I don’t look like a werewolf, I don’t belong with the smooth skinned tribe. So it was nice to see my brothers out with me.
When I got to the meat section, I asked for 7 chicken thighs in Cantonese. The guy behind the counter responded in Mandarin. I figured he was asking how many. I had to count quietly from 1 to 7 in Mandarin (eee, err, sam, siii, wu, lieu …) and then my mind went blank. He stood there while I gave him my famous dumb look. I resorted to my fingers instead. He nodded and said “chee” to confirm? I think he is just tormenting me.
Is chee = 7? My Mandarin teacher would have whacked me for not remembering this. I smiled and nodded back. I figured if chee meant 17, I would just freeze what I didn’t need. Such is the fate of jook sings. When I got to the checkout counter, the cashier and the young man who was bagging the groceries were bantering in Mandarin. I was next. After she scanned everything, the cashier looked at me and just gave me the total in English. I get this all the time. Even when I used to buy Chinese newspapers for my mom. I figured that would fool them. Sometimes it did. They would say something in Chinese and I would give them the dumb look. The cashiers can pretty well know when a jook sing is in front of them. When J goes to the cashiers, they just start talking to him in Chinese. When I go up, 90% of the time they will speak English to me first.
I need to find a tribe to belong to. Is there a tribe for scruffy, gay, jook-sings? A minority within a minority – that’s how I feel.
Comments (58)
that’s tough man…you’re talking about a real slim market =/
Move!
Hmmm…I say have a beer.
It’s like Chinese people can sense jook sings. LOL
@jennfaceee - Yes, jook sing is sensible to some people…is just like the thing you get when you can tell someone is Italian or German or Polish or Irish or…I can’t do that at all, they all are Europeans in my eyes and I will apologize. But seriously, is not like the average American can tell Japanese and Chinese people apart (now that I think about it, I doubt I have more than a 50% chance myself…)
Waiter/waitress in Chinese restaurant and cashiers in the supermarket often speak only in English to me, and I proudly reply with my very Hong Kong-ish hong kong canto (or hong kong style broken Mandarin) to show that I know how things work around here so don’t fool me. >: 3
I am currently a lone wolf searching for the gay Asian pack to join.
It’s okay. We’ll practice mandarin together
We’ll skype and pretty soon, you’ll be able to count to seventy seven.
(btw… 1) are there few Cantonese people where you live. 2) i didn’t get the whole hairy thing… are you saying that mandarin people are typically more hairy than canto?
You’ll always be part of the human species. That’s all that really counts, right?
Oh, you’re in your own special class, Matt. A subspecies all your own! =D
I don’t know – you are a human being so you are in a species already
it’s embarrassing when cashiers try to speak to me in mandarin or cantonese and i can’t respond back to them… i really need to start learning chinese again! most of the time, though, they guess correctly and speak english to me… i guess it’s a compliment that i don’t look like a fob?
@ThePrince - argh…. looks like I’m gonna be the lone wolf.
@oxyGENE_08 - where? hahaha….
@Bricker59 - what an excellent idea!
@jennfaceee - it’s true… then they give you that sad look. “ai ya… you’re a jook-sing.”
@manmantong2000 - if the menu is in Chinese, I’m hopeless. I just let my bf translate. If there are numbers, I’ll just write them down. There’s quite a few gay Asian Xangans here.
@Devilzgaysianboi - there are lots of Chinese people in Toronto and in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). It’s one of the larger visible minorities. It’s sort of like SF. As for the hairy thing – I meant there are some Asians who are hairy and some (most) that aren’t.
@zionlover - hahaha… I guess so. I haven’t seen you around in ages. It’s good to see you dropping by.
@christao408 - omg… a sub species. I feel so unique and special. lol…
@Fatcat723 - the human tribe… I need a smaller tribe to run with.
@kunhuo42 - I always thought you spoke Cantonese very well.
ha ha this was funny Matt. So are you going to get serious about Mandarin?
@ElusiveWords - I know. It has been a while. But I knew I had to catch up on my friends sooner or later.
so funny! after spending tons of time in shanghai lately, numbers are pretty hard to forget…
my problem is opposite…in shanghai, i totally wish they see a white
guy when they look at me, because i always look like an idiot for not
being able to speak mandarin, so for me, having an asian face in
shanghai is a complete curse.
@ElusiveWords - hahaha my cantonese is nonexistent. i can manage a word or two of mandarin, but definitely can’t understand or speak enough to carry on a conversation (let alone a complete sentence!).
When I was in HK I supposedly blended right in…until I open my mouth haha
You’re unique! Screw them!
“I figured if chee meant 17, I would just freeze what I didn’t need.” HAHAHA
and hi5, i can’t speak mandarin either
.
@Roadlesstaken - lol
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Jjee. Then again… there is a hierarchy of dialects even in Mandarin itself… *ugh brain hurting…
You’re in America, right?
You do have a tribe. You’re an American.
Ah, how sad that people are such aholes. Most Asian people don’t believe I’m part Asian so it always brings for weird conversations/rudeness at times.
Maybe the guy was tormenting you, but at least you have more grace than that. GOOD FOR YOU!
Take caeeee,
Happens to a lot of my friends who don’t speak Chinese. I’m curious as to how they know which Chinese speaks Mandarin which doesn’t. The face? The aura? Hmm
goodness, that was hysterical. the same thing happens to me. i know EXACTLY what you mean by the dumb look on the face when I try to purchase at chinese counters. so true…i always have no choice but to end up with English.
They can usually tell if you can speak Chinese or not by the way you dress.
Though I’m not Chinese, I still have the same problems in terms of ethnic identity. I’m Filipino, but I was born on Guam. When I came to America, “true” Filipinos see me as a Fil-Am. American people see me as Filipino. I see myself as neither. I see myself as someone from Guam. I guess in the states I feel like a minority within a minority because I’m away from my home island.
Hmm…have you thought about moving to SF?
Lol, people always speak to me in Spanish. I’m not sure why, though. It sounds like you’re a triple minority! That’s pretty tough =/
The joy of growing up speaking in English. Hey, at least you can count 1 through 5 =)
@Roadlesstaken - omg ppl laughed and called me “little foreigner” as soon as i did that in China
clever title for a post!
I can tell the difference between fobs and Americanized Asians by just looking at them. I don’t know what it is. Maybe the way they dress, or just their face. Anyways, I feel exactly like you, except that I can speak the native language.
@Roadlesstaken - Hmm…you don’t look like a fob, but you look like a 1.5 generationer.
@QxM - What gives that away, out of curiosity?
i think you can get that kind of treatment everywhere. i remember an officemate taking a trip to hk. she had problems with directions as she can’t come up with perfect sentences in chinese (i don’t the specific language used there) and she was told she’s not pure and just making things up. just for directions. man.
so you’re hairy. show proof ;D
lol… i feel your pain, matt. i usually have no problem blending in, it’s only when i open my mouth when i start to feel embarrassed. my problem is more to do with having considered to be one of them, constantly. the chinese/japanese/koreans/thai all think i’m one of them and would start conversing with me in their mother tongue. this gets me embarrassed all the time since i don’t speak any of their language. i live in indonesia, but the locals don’t consider me as one of them because i look too white/chinese. so when i’m in western supermarkets and restaurants (where there are white folks come and visit), the local staff would almost always conversing in english with me. yes, i too don’t belong anywhere. guess this makes us SPECIAL. shall we form a group of our own?
@ZSA_MD - I think I’ve hit the limits of my linguistic capabilities.
@jace1982 - was it the same experience when you were in Tokyo?
@Roadlesstaken - I went through the same thing in HKG too! hahahaha… thanks for the rec.
@AmeliaHart - I will… hahaha.
@pika_whoosh - your Cantonese is probably better than mine.
@yang1815 - you’re laughing with me right?
@BenelliMan - actually, I’m Canadian – the other tribe. Thanks for the rec.
@HelloKitty0809 - I don’t think he was tormenting me. I know in one restaurant that my brother goes to regularly, they repeat everything he tells them but in the right pronunciation. I think they are repeating it to double check. He thinks they are making fun of him.
@SillyHelena - I think they can sense the fear.
@vivachu - I once tried to haggle in Chinese, they switch from Cantonese to Mandarin and then to some other dialect. I gave up…
@Xx_DeUce_xX - I dress like a slob most of the time.
@ElusiveWords - nope.
bamboo rise~
I’m on msn btw.
@NoHeroesForTomorrow - you certainly have a unique perspective on cultural identity. btw – you have some nice pictures on your site. Thanks for dropping by.
@mocawong - uhm… no. I like it here in Toronto.
@oOo_itsJuJu - I’m sure I’ll find a way to survive. Thanks for the comment.
@suefa_lee - I probably have to practice a bit (a lot…) more.
@wyrdkismet - thank you for the comment and for dropping by. (I can’t believe people called you that in China… lol)
@QxM - I think you have an advantage over a lot of folks by being conversant in both languages.
@Renatojr3 - having been to HKG, I can appreciate your friend’s experience. Oh gosh… how do I show proof? (this blog is rated xxx-tra clean.)
@rudyhou - yes, let’s form a group. Although I’m sure I’ll keep mistaking you for Chinese.
@ElusiveWords - oh np, and yup, they sure did! i was talking to my mom and let a few english words slip here and there, you know, practicing that good old Chinglish
@ElusiveWords - actually, no, not at all. in japan, everyone will speak to you in japanese first, regardless of whether you appear to understand it or not. they’re not outwardly biased =P
actually, I AM chinese, by blood. but incapable of speaking and writing the language. indonesian is my nationality n so the everyday language. well, mostly mixed with english and a chinese dialect Hokkien. yeah, i’m screwed up that way.
@ElusiveWords - a face pic would do. hehehe
I speak Hong Kong Style cantonese whenever I go to these Chinese stores or restaurants, whether they are run by the Hongs, Mainland Chinese, or Taiwanese, and with the help of Hong-lish( HK style English) if there’re any difficulties to communicate while in Vancouver…….
and yes…it’s so easy to identify whether you are a CBC or not, the style CBCs carry themselves is different…
David Fong and I were talking about that last week, but I didn’t realize there was a term for it. There’s a similar term in Korean but I forget the name.
@ElusiveWords - are u ignoring me?! >:(
@Roadlesstaken - I have no idea haha. I was looking at your xanga and you usually look Americanized but the graduation pic kinda resembled your Native side, so I figured you’re 1.5 gen. Wait….was I right? ^^
@ElusiveWords - Well…maybe. I understand better than I speak. Sometimes I get stuck in words (limited vocabulary) or when I can’t express phrases correctly, I translate literally from English so it sounds kinda odd/unnatural.
@QxM - I’m actually 2nd generation, born in the US but parents are from HK
Things sure have changed in Toronto. I remember most of my friends who did not grow up in Cantonese speaking environment all learned to speak Cantonese to get around in Toronto Chinese areas…
BTW, visit San Francisco. You’ll find plenty of those over here.
@CareyGLY - I’m just a shade more Chinese than you are. hahaha…
@rudyhou - no, you’re not screwed up. I’m sure we’ll get along just fine!
@Renatojr3 - nice try. lol…
@Wangium - yeah, Mandarin is spoken just as much as Cantonese if not more. SF – I do want to get there with J some day.
Well…you better tell me when you are here. I’ll promise to take you around and be discrete about it.
I won’t take pictures or tell anyone else.
What exactly is a jooksing?
@secade - the wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jook-sing has a decent interpretation. My mom told me that it’s literally the heart of the bamboo where things can’t get through. So even though on the surface, one looks like a Chinese, the ethnicity and cultural aspects don’t really flow. Think banana – yellow on the outside, white on the inside.
my cantonese is ok, but my madarin sucks, lol. I remembered the plain look once a while, hehe.
i hear ya. everyone thinks i’m japanese (i’m korean). korean friends call me white washed or twinkie b/c not all my friends are asian. sigh, i dunno. i love grocery shopping at night too. get in and out without the fuss.
I only give the ‘dumb’ look when they speak to me in Mandarin and I’d be like…… o___O
@MzKeekz - I have patented the dumb look since high school. My teachers would always call on me when they sense I don’t know the answer.