The Beer Incident.
This is a picture of me and my tutor, Wang Xia outside of the Hardrock Cafe Beijing. Wang Xia has been a really good tutor; she's patient, helpful, speaks English well, and easy to schedule with. We spend at least one hour together every weekday, usually a little longer. She helps me with Chinese and I help her with English.
But language is still a barrier, and we often find ourselves saying things that would be offensive if a native speaker said them. Luckily for me, Wang Xia has a pretty good since of humor and we are usually able to smooth over any would-be-awkardness with a good laugh. Last night, we had our most humours/insulting/awkward exhcange so far. I thought I'd share it with you.
Wang Xia, my friend Guy, and I were eating dinner in a very crowded dining hall full of Wang Xia's classmates. Our conversation was of the social nature of Chinese and U.S. quarterlifers, so Guy asked Wang Xia if she liked beer.
She said that she didn't, and I immediately stated that I didn't either. She looked at me inquizitively and then said, "No. I don't believe you."
Being somewhat shocked, I responded with, "You think I like beer? Why do you think that?"
As she gestured to her stomach she responded, "you have, how do you say it, beer fat."
I started to laugh my deep, gutteral bellow-of-a-laugh that most of you have heard many times. Wang Xia's face turned red, she started to kick me under the table, and then she got up and ran out of the dining hall in a panic. This made me laugh even more.
She later told me that it is extremely impolite to laugh loudly in China, and that my laughter was was greatly embarressing her. Then she apologized for her beer fat comment.