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Alcohol-Filled China
Booze of all types is such an integral part of the social scene in the Middle Kingdom, even more so than in North America I would have to say. It is my observation that the 15-25 age group back home consumes much more than that demographic here in China, but adults over 30 drink more here.
While being a non-consumer of anything over zero percent alcohol used to be tough here where everyone loves to try to force it down your throat at all social occasions, nowadays I have a much better handle on it. There is an expression in Chinese that if you do not partake in the bottle, you are not a "real man". I use that to my advantage -- when faced with pressure to down a glass or a dozen, I simply say self-effacingly, "I am not a real man". That tends to deflate the situation quickly and easily, and has worked like a charm for my whole ten years in China.
Watching the locals carrying on in restaurants can alternate between amusement and disgust. They have all kinds of drinking games that can be very loud, but everyone is so used to it that the people at the next table just continue with their own meals and conversation like there was no one nearby making such a ruckus. Selective attentiveness is one major key to survival in such crowded cities.
last modified Jun 12, 2004 at 21:08
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