I got this in my e-mail about a week ago entitled 28 + 4 ways to know if you're Chinese Since I am Chinese, I found this e-mail really amusing - so I thought why don't I write a blog post about it and make comments on how much of it is true? 1. You unwrap gifts very carefully, so you can save and reuse the wrapping (and especially those ribbons). - I do this, but it's actually because I like keeping things the way they came in. My friends in Melbourne gave me Singstar for my birthday - we've already opened it and used it, but I'm still keeping it the exact way it came - except for the game's plastic wrapping, which is too thin to be salvageable. I found the few times I kept anything to reuse the wrapping, I never used them. -__-
2. When there is a sale on toilet paper, you buy 100 rolls and store them in your closet or in the bedroom of an adult child who has move out. - I don't buy that many rolls since I'm living alone, but when I'm at home in Malaysia, we do have this huge stockpile of toilet paper, but my family goes through toilet paper pretty quickly, so it's more because we don't want to visit the store that often rather than because it's cheap.
3. You keep a Thermos of hot water available at all times. - I don't have a Thermos since I don't drink hot drinks often enough to bother.
4. You save grocery bags, tin foil, and tin containers. You use the grocery bags to hold garbage. - I think this is what every student does with their grocery bags. It's hardly sensible to go buy garbage bags when you get bags for free in a significantly more manageable size.
5. You hate to waste food - as a note, I do waste food and it's usually rice. Australian Chinese restaurants give you WAAAAY too much rice.
a ) Even if you're totally full, if someone says they're going to throw away the leftovers on the table, you'll finish them.(Your mom will give a lecture about starving kids in Africa) - indeed I was given this comment before, but that was when I had appetite problems about 14 years ago and still didn't eat it anyway LOL.
b ) You have Tupperware in your fridge with three bites of rice or one leftover chicken wing. - I hate leftover food, especially if it wasn't meant to be leftover.
6. You don't own any real Tupperware-only a cupboard full of used but carefully rinsed margarine tubs, take out containers, and jam jars. - I don't own any real Tupperware because it's too expensive. I do however have IKEA containers. :P
7. You have a collection of minature shampoo bottles that you take every time you stay in a hotel. - Guilty as charged!
8. You wipe your plate and utensils or wash them in a small basin of hot water before you eat every time you go to a restaurant. - if only Chinese restaurants here were that nice.
9. You own a rice cooker and a slow cooker. - I didn't own a rice cooker until last year, and I didn't own a slow cooker until my neighbour abandoned his at my place.
10. You wash your rice at least 2-3 times before cooking it. - I thought this was normal?! Starchy isn't a quality you usually want with rice.
11. You fight (literally) over who pays the dinner bill. - It's a strange habit to fight, but Chinese don't like to lose face.
12. You have a teacup with a cover on it. - I don't even have a teacup.
13. If you're under age 20, you own a really expensive walkman if you're over 20, you own a really expensive camera. - I have never owned a really expensive walkman. Even now the most expensive music player I own cost me AU$120. Hardly even close to what an iPod costs. I don't have an expensive camera, I do plan to get one, but not until I need it. My cheapskate camera will have to do until then.
14. You're a wok user. - Heh.
15. You only make long distance calls after 7pm. - Long distance calls? Come on - we're more stingy than that -> Skype.
16. You prefer your shrimp with the heads and legs still attached - it means they're fresh. <- XD
17. You never call your parents just to say hi. - Guilty. :P
18. If you don't live at home, when your parents call, they'll ask if you've eaten, even if it's midnight. - Indeed a strange habit, but they always do it. In the case of chewxy or me, sometimes we really haven't eaten at midnight, so not that strange a question I guess.
19. Your parents tell you to boil herbs and stay inside when you get sick. They also tell you not to eat fried foods or baked goods because they're heaty (yeet hay in Cantonese). - My family doesn't believe this, and doesn't really believe in herbs either. I find that walking outside usually makes you feel better, but Malaysia's hot weather, and Melbourne's random weather usually make you better off staying inside.
20. You e-mail your Chinese friends at work, even though you only sit 10 feet apart. - I IM my housemate (applies to both kl and my current housemate), who is physically 2 meters away.
21. You always cook too much. - I cook too much because my estimation sucks. Bleh.
22.You eat every last grain of rice in your bowl, but don't eat the last piece of food on the table. - True in most cases - the last piece of chicken, the last piece of tofu, the last piece of vegetable usually goes round the table like 20 times before someone finally takes it, and usually not without informing the whole table LOL.
23.You starve yourself before going to all you can eat buffet. - The last few times I went to a buffet I did eat properly before then. It's usually the opposite - you can't eat anymore after that for at least most of the day.
24. You know someone who can get you a good deal on jewelry or electronics, computers. - I also know where to source Magic cards and completely random items like consoles and modchips. o_O
25. You own your own meat cleaver and sharpen it. - I don't have a meat cleaver, I'm too lazy to cut meat myself.
26. Your toothpaste tubes are all squeezed paper-thin. - I thought that was normal too - being a stingy student.
27. You know why this list consists of only "28" reasons. - My favourite number is 4, so I obviously don't care.
28. You take this message and forward it to all your Chinese friends. < ----- See blog.
There are four more indications that you need to add:- *29 You wrap with napkins all the knives, spoons and forks of the airline that you fly on and put in your travel bag as souvenirs - I don't do this, stealing is still frowned upon, in my opinion.
*30 You never forget to take with you all the unused bath and facial tissues when you check out from the hotel because you believe that you have paid its all. - I only take it if there's a chance the next hotel doesn't give me enough toilet paper. You won't believe how many times I've actually been saved by this small bit of toilet paper.
*31 You will laugh at yourself when you read all of them - ROFL
*32 And you will always proud because you're Chinese - Indeed.