Questions about Shanghai
#16
Banned
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,478
Re: Questions about Shanghai
Well done Umpatan for defending yourself!
For the life of me, I could not see a hint of racism in either of your posts. God help us when admitting to difficulty with a foreign language or stating a dislike of certain aspects of the country's cuisine is considered racist!
To be honest, I thought the criticising OP's post had hints of a rant to it, and had to keep referring back to your posts to see where all the anger was coming from?
For the life of me, I could not see a hint of racism in either of your posts. God help us when admitting to difficulty with a foreign language or stating a dislike of certain aspects of the country's cuisine is considered racist!
To be honest, I thought the criticising OP's post had hints of a rant to it, and had to keep referring back to your posts to see where all the anger was coming from?
#17
Banned
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 146
Re: Questions about Shanghai
Well done Umpatan for defending yourself!
For the life of me, I could not see a hint of racism in either of your posts. God help us when admitting to difficulty with a foreign language or stating a dislike of certain aspects of the country's cuisine is considered racist!
To be honest, I thought the criticising OP's post had hints of a rant to it, and had to keep referring back to your posts to see where all the anger was coming from?
For the life of me, I could not see a hint of racism in either of your posts. God help us when admitting to difficulty with a foreign language or stating a dislike of certain aspects of the country's cuisine is considered racist!
To be honest, I thought the criticising OP's post had hints of a rant to it, and had to keep referring back to your posts to see where all the anger was coming from?
#18
Re: Questions about Shanghai
Hi everyone; just dropping in from another forum.
Umpatan, you are right about the Japanese and Chinese similarities. Japanese kanji takes a lot of the Chinese characters. So, even though they may each pronounce a kanji differently, it can often have the same meaning.
I lived in Japan for a year and picked up very little kanji. It's very difficult and like you say, based on memorization and not phonetics. We westerners are just not accustomed to learning language in that way - even with our secondary and tertiary languages, they usually use a Roman alphabet, so we could always sound out the words, even if we don't know what they mean.
Good on you for doing so well in so many languages.
Fox
Umpatan, you are right about the Japanese and Chinese similarities. Japanese kanji takes a lot of the Chinese characters. So, even though they may each pronounce a kanji differently, it can often have the same meaning.
I lived in Japan for a year and picked up very little kanji. It's very difficult and like you say, based on memorization and not phonetics. We westerners are just not accustomed to learning language in that way - even with our secondary and tertiary languages, they usually use a Roman alphabet, so we could always sound out the words, even if we don't know what they mean.
Good on you for doing so well in so many languages.
Fox
#19
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 9
Re: Questions about Shanghai
yeah yeah, all right..... but i think we're getting a bit off thread for this 'british' expat site lol....
but anyways, seriously... i just meant you cant slag off an 'entire cities' food (maybe i was a bit harsh calling u racist... maybe just a bit arogant) just after a few experiences with cheapo food from scanky places.... and please tell me 'why' the heck did u go to 'that' place???? thats just asking for trouble! lol
There are hundreds of nice restaurants in shanghai, chinese owned or foreign owned
if you stay there a long time, then you get to know the nice and bad places..... but i'm guessing your just a traveller or business guy who stayed there, & in other countries for a few months each time (i presume that as you didnt learn street signs, and learnt the basics of survival language)
anyways, if you go back there, just hope you eat at a nice place next time
getting back on Topic, hope the lady and her hubbie got the job in Shangers
End of thread
but anyways, seriously... i just meant you cant slag off an 'entire cities' food (maybe i was a bit harsh calling u racist... maybe just a bit arogant) just after a few experiences with cheapo food from scanky places.... and please tell me 'why' the heck did u go to 'that' place???? thats just asking for trouble! lol
There are hundreds of nice restaurants in shanghai, chinese owned or foreign owned
if you stay there a long time, then you get to know the nice and bad places..... but i'm guessing your just a traveller or business guy who stayed there, & in other countries for a few months each time (i presume that as you didnt learn street signs, and learnt the basics of survival language)
anyways, if you go back there, just hope you eat at a nice place next time
getting back on Topic, hope the lady and her hubbie got the job in Shangers
End of thread
Last edited by backtoblighty; Apr 17th 2009 at 3:18 pm.
#20
Banned
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,478
Re: Questions about Shanghai
yeah yeah, all right..... but i think we're getting a bit off thread for this 'british' expat site lol....
but anyways, seriously... i just meant you cant slag off an 'entire cities' food (maybe i was a bit harsh calling u racist... maybe just a bit arogant) just after a few experiences with cheapo food from scanky places.... and please tell me 'why' the heck did u go to 'that' place???? thats just asking for trouble! lol
There are hundreds of nice restaurants in shanghai, chinese owned or foreign owned
if you stay there a long time, then you get to know the nice and bad places..... but i'm guessing your just a traveller or business guy who stayed there, & in other countries for a few months each time (i presume that as you didnt learn street signs, and learnt the basics of survival language)
anyways, if you go back there, just hope you eat at a nice place next time
getting back on Topic, hope the lady and her hubbie got the job in Shangers
End of thread
but anyways, seriously... i just meant you cant slag off an 'entire cities' food (maybe i was a bit harsh calling u racist... maybe just a bit arogant) just after a few experiences with cheapo food from scanky places.... and please tell me 'why' the heck did u go to 'that' place???? thats just asking for trouble! lol
There are hundreds of nice restaurants in shanghai, chinese owned or foreign owned
if you stay there a long time, then you get to know the nice and bad places..... but i'm guessing your just a traveller or business guy who stayed there, & in other countries for a few months each time (i presume that as you didnt learn street signs, and learnt the basics of survival language)
anyways, if you go back there, just hope you eat at a nice place next time
getting back on Topic, hope the lady and her hubbie got the job in Shangers
End of thread
For someone with only 7 posts, spread over 16 months, you are pretty critical of others aren't you?
So you grudgingly accept the OP is not a racist, but now he is "arogant"(sic)
Suggest you take a long look at yourself, and ask if someone with so little time on the forum closing their post with "End of thread" is maybe a little arrogant themselves?
#21
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 9
Re: Questions about Shanghai
i am critical of people who slag off a cities food, yes...
end of thread as there's nothing more to say
but obviously u've got lots more to say, and obviously you spend ur life writing & waring on internet forums (391 posts is not something to boast about wee johnny lad)
i suggest you take a deep breath, and go outside into the fresh air
end of thread as there's nothing more to say
but obviously u've got lots more to say, and obviously you spend ur life writing & waring on internet forums (391 posts is not something to boast about wee johnny lad)
i suggest you take a deep breath, and go outside into the fresh air
Last edited by backtoblighty; Apr 18th 2009 at 11:28 am.
#22
Banned
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,478
Re: Questions about Shanghai
i am critical of people who slag off a cities food, yes...
end of thread as there's nothing more to say
but obviously u've got lots more to say, and obviously you spend ur life writing & waring on internet forums
(391 posts is not something to boast about wee johnny lad)
I have noticed in the short time that I have been watching the Far East forum that it attracts a few people with your bad attitude. Must be the effect that living in that area has on certain personality types maybe?
#23
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 9
Re: Questions about Shanghai
you need more sleep
Last edited by backtoblighty; Apr 20th 2009 at 11:23 am.
#24
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Al Jimi a suburb of Al Ain in the UAE
Posts: 171
Re: Questions about Shanghai
Hey - we had some great news! We are coming to China in August but to Nanjing - not to Shanghai as previously posted. I guess I will now start another thread about going to Nanjing. Thanks for your answers and the discussion about Shanghai.
#25
Just Joined
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2
Re: Questions about Shanghai
Keep trying with Shanghai, or Beijing or Hong Kong for that matter. Food's great if you aim between the international hotels (bland) and the 3 yuan backpacker joints (can be ok but a bit of a gamble).
#27
Banned
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 12
Re: Questions about Shanghai
I think Shanghai has a lot of Expats, in one district I saw so many so I don't think it will be a problem.
Here is an Expat Shanghai site too http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/index.p...rum&file=index
Here is an Expat Shanghai site too http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/index.p...rum&file=index