Comments on: Impressions of America from Chinese Eyes

By: Jet So

Jet So — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:45:10 +0000

“Americans are so fat. Everywhere there are fat people. Why are Americans so fat? Is it the food?”

Hmmm, I’m not sure where your LV men-bags came from in the Motherland but where I am, there’s not a few 大小胖子们 around as compared to their 江南 brethren and/or Asian counterparts in Japan & Korea.

But again, they’re not built for the Ponderosa!

By: canrun

canrun — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:08:35 +0000

I find it VERY depressing: Michaels-Kohl’s-Borders-nails-tanning-Hong Kong buffet #3…everywhere…(in the South, at least…) Bloody awful. Atlanta sucks.

By: coljac

coljac — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:07:11 +0000

At a strip center…
“All of these little shops look so unique. In China, the small shops are all the same, and none of them have colorful signs like the ones here.”

One thing that struck me when I moved back to Australia was the larger number of independent little shops – video stores, pizza shops, newsagents, milk bars(*), fish and chip shops, and so on. In the USA, nearly everywhere is the same as nearly everywhere else – the same franchises. After a while I found this a little depressing, though of course wherever you are you can find a store you know.

(*)Like a convenience store.

By: owshawng

owshawng — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:35:19 +0000

When I moved back to New Jersey from Sydney I was shocked at how fat Americans are. Gross. There are tons of fatties in Australia too but you tend not to see too many in Sydney’s business district. The further away from the heart of the city, the bigger people get.

When I was growing up there was 1 fat kid in each class, now 1/3 or more of the kids in Jersey are fat. But I thought there’s a wave of obesity in China too for the under 30 crowd. Something to do with living in a city and being spoiled due to being an only child.

By: Flora

Flora — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:05:47 +0000

Interesting blog, good luck

By: Heike717

Heike717 — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:32:38 +0000

Heard many of the same conversations myself. One of favorites was, “how many guns do you own?” I guess we are neighbors, live in Kansas City too.

By: canrun

canrun — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:40:05 +0000

Ben,
Thanks for the kind “welcome.” Actually, I’ve been lurking all along. My wife got her green card in August and we just got back to China after six weeks of scouting out places to live in the US when we move back next year. (No, Kansas City did not make the short list, but ya’ll have some DAMN fine Barbecue! Hope the LV bags were full of pork rinds. But…I digress!)
I, too, found China to be WAYYY different than I had imagined (also without getting into specifics). But, after six years here I am just worn out. It’s a young man’s place (or a tried and true Panda Hugger.) I’m ready to head back to Florida, teach my wife how to sail, get a boat and dip my toes daily into the fine, blue, unpolluted Gulf of Mexico. Keep up the good work and I’ll keep stopping by…
-Canrun

By: Benjamin Ross

Benjamin Ross — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:11:35 +0000

Canrun-

Good to see you back here after what seems like a bit of a hiatus. As for his comment about reading about China and seeing it in person, I would have to say that I agree with the original statement. Without going into specifics I would say that the China I had envisioned before I went there was quite different than the one I discovered once I actually got there. Coming back to the US, I find that a great deal of the information about China coming from both the media, and people who have only been there for short periods of time is grossly misrepresented. Although, I could also say the exact thing for information about the US in China. As for your comment about the LV man-bags, I think you’re right on the money.

By: canrun

canrun — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:00:06 +0000

“At a strip center…”

…And you can bet your last LV man-bag this was NOT the kind they had been anticipating!

By: canrun

canrun — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:58:07 +0000

“The impressions Americans get from reading about China are completely different from the impressions they would get from visiting China in person.”

Uh…really? That it’s the Enchanted land of milk and honey?? Me guesses that you hosted a fair number of Communist Party brethren on this here excursion…