More blogservations

A friend of mine at work here in Hong Kong who often reads my blog (Hi Sumyee!), recently mentioned she really found my comparisons of Hong Kong life to American life interesting. With that sort of incentive, how can I resist pondering and typing up some more of Hong Kong blogservations? So, here goes:

Sidewalk walking:
I can’t write about the difference in Hong Kong life without complaining a bit about the erratic and completely disorganized behavior of people in Hong Kong as they walk down the sidewalk. For a city where most everyone walks instead of drives, you’d think people would have figured out an orderly system.

American habit: Americans may get blamed for many sloppy habits, but we are very organized in our sidewalk walking habits. Just like we drive on the right side of the road, people walk on the right side of the sidewalk. Slow walkers stay on the far right and you pass on the left.

Hong Kong habit: Walk down the sidewalk in a zigzag fashion while typing something into your cell phone or reading the newspaper, completely oblivious to anyone else around you and making it impossible to get anywhere fast. (Especially the impatient American trying to get by.)

Credit Cards

American Way: In the U.S., credit card companies practically stalk you trying to get you to sign up for their card. I used to get at least 3 credit card offers a WEEK from companies offering better rates, intro offers etc. Once you decide you want a card, you fill out a simple form, they do a credit check and voila, a card is sent to you.

Hong Kong Way: I will have to sell a vital organ in order to get a credit card in Hong Kong. People use cash here for everything. Getting a credit card has been the biggest hassle in the world and I have had to provide copies of my bank statements, tenancy agreement for my apartment, a letter from my employee, 3 months bills from a government utility, copies of our passports and Hong Kong identity cards. I’m sure the request for my blood will come soon.

Grocery Store Clerks

Hong Kong Way: This is an interesting occurrence that I thoroughly enjoy watching. In many grocery stores, they hire people to stand in front of the vegetables, fruit, fish, meat or other perishable items and “hawk” the goods. That means, as I’m casually pushing my cart down the aisle, the produce woman will suddenly start screaming something in Cantonese which I assume means “Buy these green grapes. Now! Boy they are good, come and get them, they are on sale, don’t pass this up.”

American Way: The mild mannered produce men in the grocery stores quietly unload boxes and only speak when spoken too. I’ve never once had them yell in my ear about the plump juicy peaches.

Women's Fashion and Blunt Salespeople

Hong Kong: Even though Hong Kong is an incredibly diverse place, you can't escape the fact that 90% of the people here are of Chinese descent which means most women have impossibly thin figures. (Something very enviable to me). One thing I can't get over is how blunt the sales women are in clothing stores. They are not shy at all about looking you up and down when you ask for a fitting room, and then telling you "You need a larger size" or mentioning "We don't have anything that will fit you." Of course, the higher-end stores at the nicer malls are used to dealing with expats and would NEVER say something like this, but true to my nature, I can't help but look for bargains in the smaller stores and subject myself to repeated verbal abuse from the salespeople.

Office Supplies

Hong Kong: Everything is plastic. Plastic report folders. Plastic file folders for your drawers. Plastic EVERYTHING.

America: I used to use simple paper manila envelopes for filing and other such things. If these exist in Hong Kong, I haven't seen them.

The word "no"

American way: No is a favorite word for many people and we are never shy to tell someone, "that's impossible, there is absolutely no way that will happen, you are insane."

Hong Kong: The doormen in our apartment building have a sign on the front counter that pretty much sums it all up. The sign says "Never say no." I've experienced this phenomenon many times. There are many polite ways to say no without using this taboo word. Such as "I'm so sorry but...." or "How about I offer this instead...." OR, you may get someone who says "yes" when they mean "no" and you never end up getting the thing you asked for. It's a fun/confusing game to play.

Toothpicks

Hong Kong: Toothpicks are brought to the table at the end of every meal and it is common and completely acceptable for everyone to politely take one, cover their mouth with one hand, while they pick their teeth at the table.

America: Toothpicks are often offered at restaurants in a dispenser as you leave a restuarant where people steal away to pick their teeth in private.

Cell Phones

Hong Kong: I'll end this list of blogservations with comparison of cell phone use. First of all, they are called mobiles in Hong Kong. Not cell phones. And, when you use it in public, it's polite to use one hand to cover your mouth so no one hears or sees your mouth when you talk.

America: I'm most guilty of this offense, but loud cell phone talking is pretty common (no hand to block the noise). However, it's not really acceptable.