Let’s continue with our exploration of really odd China. Please let’s keep in mind that we are looking not for curiosities to amuse and titillate, but rather to discover new and varied ways of doing things and looking at things so that we may personally benefit from them.
Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.
The Singing Chef
Chinese people love their food, they spend lots of time savoring and enjoying their meals. Food is not just “fuel” for the body, but a pleasure, an art, and a way of socializing. If you want to make friends, go eat. If you want to close a business deal, go eat. If you want to pursue a romantic relationship, go eat. Since ancient times, food has been considered priority in Chinese culture. The government’s goal was to make sure that each person is taken care of and "has enough to eat”. From another angle, it also suggests the realistic character of Chinese: food goes before ideas, and this life is more important than after life. -Tinyeyescomics
Restaurants are all over the place in China. Just like they are seemingly everywhere in the Untied States. There are all kinds of them as well. They run the gambit from cafeterias, to fast food, to small family affairs, and street vendors. This is certainly a great subject for another series of posts, but here instead, I would like to talk about one aspect of certain Chinese restaurants.
That aspect is the “singing chef”.
In certain restaurants, you can have the chef sing to you, and you can pick up a KTV microphone at your table and sing along. In China, of course, singing and dancing are very popular Chinese pastimes, as they are all over Asia. People just love to sing. Well, what’s better than singing with friends, eating fine delicious food, and drinking wonderful adult beverages? Well, not much.
Here we have the chef singing a duet with a customer…
Of course, to be able to fully appreciate how cool this is, you need to understand that Chinese food is really tasty and there are so many different kinds and types of food available. Most of which are unknown in the West. Yes, I am sorry to say that those corner “Chinese restaurants” that you have in the states only prepare Americanized Chinese “fast food”.
So imagine the joy of playing around, singing, and eating some truly delicious Chinese food…
Of course, not all Chinese food is spicy. Some are, but many are not. China is a land with all sorts of strange and delicious foods. In fact, I have another post just about this very subject. You might want to check it out. (By clicking on the link, the other article will open up in a different tab.)
In any event, eating spicy food is a great excuse to drink some fine frosty beer. China has all sorts of local breweries. You can obtain some very cheap beer in China, and It actually does go well with the Chinese cuisine.
Personally, I like my beer to be super cold. This is to such an extent that I ask for a half a glass of chipped ice that I can pour my beer into. Yes, I know that it’s a tad extreme, but that is just me. Do not knock it until you get to try it yourself. OK?
Oh, and speaking of wonderful and delicious beer. How about this…
Oh, and speaking about beer, let’s talk a little bit about parties and partying in China. After all, how in the world can you possibly experience China without going to a party and getting shit-faced drunk? It just isn’t possible. Drinking is part of the Chinese traditional culture and society.
China’s Party Scene is often Enormous
The Chinese like to party, and when the opportunity comes, they will gather together and have a great time. To us Westerners, this seems odd, but it really shouldn’t. Think of “Spring Break ” on steroids, only with office staff instead of drunk college students.
This is true all over Asia as well. From the Philippines to Vietnam, and Korea. All Asians love to have a great time. And unlike the politically correct United States, it’s just fine to discuss smoking, drinking, singing and dancing in public and at your workplace.
China has an enormous music and television industry with all sorts of stars and favorites. I covered this in another post. You might want to check it out. (The link opens up in another tab.)
However, it should be noted that many singers and musicians from all over the world find that by catering to the Chinese, sales of their music and popularity skyrockets. So you will be surprised to find Polish singers, Brazilian groups, and Country and Western singers from America playing within China.
Of course, if you are going to sing, eat, and drink, you shouldn’t go anywhere near a car. Just pay for someone to take you home, or crash in a nearby hotel. Yet, this option is often beyond the comprehension of the severely inebriated.
Which brings us to this bitter-sweet video…
The Guy that Just Can’t Drive
I don’t know how better to introduce this video to ya all. This guy is obviously having a bad day, and cannot drive worth sh*t.
Poor guy. If he isn’t drinking, then it is obvious that he is having a bad day. It’s times like these that make you just want to throw in the towel and call it a day. It’s time to go off to a small restaurant and order a beer. It’s time to take a long drag off of a cigarette. It’s time to chill out and watch a game on television.
What ever it is, it’s a time NOT to drive.
OK. At four videos for this part, let’s go and move on to the next past which covers even more strangeness inside of China this month…
If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.
Links about China
China and America Comparisons
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
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Learning About China
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.
Parks in China
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