Ah..Skius, can i have a bowl of rice?

Let me share something 'Chinese' with you guys for a moment..

Go to a typical restaurant in Brunei, preferabbly some place like Golden Leaf Restaurant or Thien Thien Chicken Rice, sit down and observe the customers. IF there are Chinese (not necessarily China Chinese in this case, just normal Chinese like me...or Josh Lap Lap...bahahaha!!) do keep an eye on them when they order their food.

I might be wrong on this but then again, i've done my experiment a few times and have came down to this conclusion. We, the Chinese people in Brunei Darussalam (not sure in Malaysia or other countries) have quite a number of hand gestures when it comes to having a meal in a restaurant. I'm not talking about knocking your fingers on the table when someone refill your cup of tea (For your information, that particular gesture means thank you which began wayyy back in one of the teng-tong-chiang dynasty. I kinda forgot what my China friend told me back when i was still in KL...)

*edit - Ookie..found something...*

When you go Yum Cha, the teacup is fairly small and is worthy of just one sip. Normally, you would want to thank your host for pouring the tea but since the teacups are so small, it gets rather annoying.

Instead, tap the table with three fingers each time you are served more tea; It is a non-verbal expression of your appreciation. Finger tapping is a Yum Cha ritual dating back to the Qing Dynasty. When you see tea-drinkers tapping their finger, it is a silent expression of gratitude to the host who has refilled their cup of tea. There is an ancient myth for this behavior.

It was said that the Qing Dynasty emperor went on an inspection on his lands. On his visit, he went to a teahouse with his bodyguards. The emperor did not want his identity revealed so he took a turn at pouring tea. The bodyguards were honor to be served tea by an emperor. Instead of bowing which would be the appropriate action, the emperor told them to tap three fingers on the table to represent their bowed head and their two arms.

Today, we have adopted this ritual as a simple gesture of appreciation. You will notice that by presenting yourself knowledgably in a Chinese teahouse, you get a sign of respect and appreciation.The next time you go to Yum Cha, you will appreciate the food, the banging of the dishes and shouting of the crowds as that symbolizes a great Chinese restaurant. -Whycook.ca

Right, as i was pretty much saying..just keep an eye on any Chinese when they're ordering especially on the part where they want a re-fill on their food regardless of what it is. I'll pick on the most frequently used. Here's an example...


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"Uh Xiao Jie, can i have another bowl of rice?"

I would classify this as the 'main' gesture of all. You want an extra bowl of rice? You put this hand out. You want soup? You show this move. Heck, even if you want a cup of something, you'd probably use this gesture too!

But eh, wait a minute, try to notice again if they want something smaller, like cut chilli/garlic or nowadays we would love "Chung Yiu" (chopped ginger & spring onion mixed with oil)...the diameter of their fingers tend to decrease...it'll look probably like this..


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"Chung Yiu!"

Don't believe me? Just try to notice some chinese people...they'll do that...just like my real chinese buddy here..

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But hey, at least we're not that bad compared to the Indians. Not only their hand move a lot, their head and their tongues moves really fast too. Bahahaha! But we're cool, we're cool. Probably this whole entry doesn't makes much sense to you...like what Josh would say back when he's still around here..."So whhhattttt?! I'm nottttt Chineseeeee..." except that this time dude, i'd butt back and say to you "So whattttt? I ammmm Chineseee!!"

On another note, guess who's going for an interview to get a Brunei citizenship on December 6th? I'm wondering whether anyone have ever went for one? Do share your experiences so i can prepare myself before i go around saying "Astaga", "Anu bah!" and "Buliiihhh?" blindly to earn one or probably i'll just go for short courses with patriotic Bruneians twins *coughs* Mark & Michael*coughs* I'm sure i'll really ace whatever tests the government is giving! XD


In Him

Comments

juice said…
i donno about citizenship stuff but my bro went for a scholarship interview and he was asked this question..

interviewer: Boleh cakap bahasa melayu kah?"
bro: yea boleh la
interviewer: apa?
bro: er.. entah...

well he got the scholarship.
kangta164 said…
Valuable piece of information there...haha! I'll remember that when i go for an interview..kekeke!
mish said…
AHHAHAHA!

now I understand whats the tapping for [my grand aunt does it all the time and I never asked. I found that gesture weird and funny all at the same time so yeah ;x]

oh bytheway,yourchinesebuddyiscute.

BWAHAHAHHAH

*runs awaay*
kangta164 said…
Mish: Pffshh!! Hahah...

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