USA vs. Japan Football; The Steamed Buns that Bush Sr. Ate
The Olympics are well under way, and the opening ceremony taken place yet. Yesterday we attended a US vs. Japan football game in Tianjin, half an hour from Beijing on the new bullet train. (Which, with a fast speed of 350 km per hour, still pales in comparison to TGV and Shinkansen trains. But a great development nonetheless.)
The stadium at Tianjin is brand new, enormous, and quite impressive. The crowd was mainly Chinese, almost all of whom were supporting the US; unfortunately, historical resentment of Japan still prevails. Behind us sat an adorable Japanese family whose toddlers were waving Japanese flags and whose dad had a straw hat with both the US and Japanese flags poking out. There were a few Americans in the 35,000-person crowd, about 15 of us scattered around. This is what happens when you come from a country where nobody plays soccer after the age of 12.
I was sitting in the nosebleed section; the telephoto lens came in handy as binoculars.
Although Japan was the favorite coming into the match, the US ended up winning 1 to 0. A few Americans ran around shirtless, much to the amusement of the Chinese.
We left the stadium as the next crowd was coming in for the Holland vs. Nigeria match. And wow, did the Dutch show up in force. We ran into a stream of about three or four hundred Dutch fans all decked out in orange, with various levels of accessorizing.
Hailing from a country without an intense passion for football (at least, not the universal definition of football), I felt somewhat left out. So we hopped in a cab and were heading for the train station when the cabbie convinced us to stop at Goubuli Restaurant for their "famous" baozi, little meat-filled steamed buns that are a Tianjin specialty.
Goodness, were they expensive, about 3 to 4 times the price of any basket of steamed buns you can get in Beijing or Shanghai. And at least to me, there was nothing special in the taste that warranted the overpricing. The pork and seafood fillings seemed rather bland, with or without the 18-fold pleating of the buns.
What the restaurant has going for it is history, purportedly over 150 years of it. The main entrance hall is lined with photos of Mao & Friends dining on the Goubuli baozi.
And according to one placard, when "Old Bush" was the US ambassador to China in the '70s, he and Barbara ate steamed buns here. Time will tell if his son will do the same on this trip.
-- COMMENTS ARE CLOSED --
I apologize for the inconvenience but comments have been closed as the "Anonymous" poster(s) (those with agreeing thoughts) are all coming from the same person. This is simply abusive and not conducive to constructive conversation. I welcome relevant discussion and if you'd like to comment on this post please contact me.
Thank you for your understanding!
You said 'us' when referring
You said 'us' when referring to americans at the football match, which was surprising.
You look chinese and have a chinese surname. Having briefly browsed your blog, it is obvious you lack a deep understanding of chinese culture and language, but shouldn't you consider yourself are more chinese than american?
Nationality vs. Ethnicity
Do you not see the inherent irony in your statement? "It is obvious you lack a deep understanding of chinese (sic) culture and language, but shouldn't you consider yourself are (sic again) more chinese than american?" If my understanding of Chinese culture is so bad, according to you, wouldn't it make more sense if I did not call myself Chinese?
My features, last name, and ethnic background have nothing to do with my nationality. Having grown up in the US and having English as my native tongue, yes, I do feel more American than Chinese. Cantonese and Mandarin are only second and third languages to me. (And yes, I consider them separate languages.) I think China is the only nation I have encountered where people consider anyone of Chinese descent, even 4th and 5th generation descendants born overseas, as Chinese, and that they are all "returning home" when visiting China. I don't agree with this. I think nationality is based on your citizenship and what you consider your home country.
I deal with this frustration on an everyday basis from people with a limited view of nationalities and ethnicities. I could go on and on, even publish a book on answering such narrow-minded questions, but for now I'll stop.
(different Anonymouse) I'm
(different Anonymouse)
I'm Chinese-Canadian. My family is wholly Chinese (not one drop of foreign blood), my parents are immigrants from Guangdong province, I speak Cantonese, learn Mandarin, eat Chinese food, know Chinese culture, and have went back to China multiple times. But I consider myself more Canadian than anything else. Why? I grew up here. I love Canada. I know the culture and feel at home here just the same as anyone else. I'm just as Canadian as my white, black, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, etc. etc. Canadian classmates and friends. You define yourself.
On another note... I've been lurking on here for quite some time (I'm not creepy, I promise) and I really like your writing style. It's very informative and every time I visit your blog I learn something new. I think it's great that you blog traditional foods as well as other cuisines, and I really really want to try some of your drinks (I'm not of legal age yet, booo). Keep on the awesome work!
Thanks! At least you can try
Thanks! At least you can try the non-alcoholic drinks I post. I think they take up most of the drink category anyhow, since liquor (other than baijiu) tends to be quite expensive here.
No need to be so defensive!
No need to be so defensive! You are obviously frustrated by this. I just think it is ironic that you are in China to learn about China and you obviously have Chinese blood, yet you won't admit you are Chinese. You should consider yourself American-Chinese at least.
I do consider myself
I do consider myself Chinese-American. I also consider myself American. Your comment relating to my post suggested I had no business calling myself American, which I found offensive.
Speaking as a laowei
Speaking as a ultra-white laowei (read: person of non-Chinese origin) living in China I'll chime in here to shed some light on the frustration. A number of my friends are huayi (华裔)[1] and they all share the same frustration in China. Chinese people do not understand how anyone of Chinese origin (read anyone that looks Chinese) isn't...
(1) fluent in Mandarin; speaking, reading, & writing
(2) fluent in Chinese history both ancient and modern
(3) capable of cooking all types of Chinese food
(4) extremely favorable to the current state of China (i.e. nationalistic)
As an example I remember one instance when I was sitting in a tea house with two of my huayi friends. They didn't speak any Chinese but I did. The waitress nearly refused to speak to me even after I said, in Chinese, "They don't speak Chinese but I do, I will order for all of us". This sort of reaction is extremely, extremely common and most Chinese folks just stare in awe at a non-Chinese speaking Chinese-looking person. Just for reference this happened in Shanghai where the percentage of fluent foreigners is very high.
Moreover it is very common for a Chinese person to "Welcome Home" these overseas China (huayi) and help them "rediscover their roots". The first few times it is pretty cool (I assume, since I never receive this welcome) but after a while you begin to realize that its simply ignorance. As one of the most dispersed ethnicities in the world (Chinese people are everywhere) those still in China don't understand the concept of a Chinese person being from anywhere but China. Their fervor in welcoming home an overseas Chinese person is scarily like "laying claim" to them.
So it you don't understand the frustration look at it from the perspective of the huayi whom is from a foreign country. They grew up in that country, went to school in that country, all of their family and friends are in that country and that is the country that they call home but the minute they step onto Chinese soil the Chinese people say "welcome home" and continually remind them that they are NOT from anywhere BUT China.
In short most of my huayi friends would say that the frustration comes not from a case of mistaken identity (i.e. "Oh I thought you were Chinese, sorry where are you from again?) but rather from being told they that MUST BE Chinese and NOTHING else (and then ridiculed for not being any of the items listed above). That is the case in mainland Chinese at least, HK is a much different story.
To be fair this isn't a Chinese only trait. Koreans are *extremely* good at this too.
I understand that your comment might have been innocent but to all of my huayi friend comments like yours come across as trying to strip them of their nationalities and force them to be only Chinese.
I'll end with this probably isn't the best place to continue a long conversation on this topic but I'd be more than happy to discuss it with you, it'd be great!. Feel free to contact me offline and lets talk!
[1] huayi, 华裔，is a person of Chinese origin that does not live in China. It is used to describe any Chinese person anywhere in the world regardless of the number of generations they are removed from the country.
-Jacob
I am a "huayi," since I grew
I am a "huayi," since I grew up in America, and call myself Chinese-American, since I'm a US citizen. However, I feel that there are 2 parts to my identity, the Chinese half and the American half. Because no matter how hard I think I'm American, the rest of the world doesn't quite really, be they American or Chinese. That's because I LOOK Chinese. People will always judge you by how you look. So, I feel, instead of pushing away your Chinese heritage, why not embrace it? It's not contradictory to both celebrate your American upbringing, along with your Chinese background. Chinese culture is really fascinating. Learning and enjoying it does not take away from your "American-ness." I mean, non-"huayi" all over the world are learning Chinese and Chinese culture, so why not the people who are of Chinese descent?
you're right
America still has some problems with embracing its full diversity. Depending on where you live and grow up you'll have different experiences with being fully immersed and being able to feel part of being "American". You, I and every other American needs to work on that.
However, your original comment was "Why do you say "us" when referring to Americans". I'm sorry but you're comment almost directly stated "You're not American because you look Chinese". As a Chinese-American you should know better.
Also I don't see how you missed that Diana, the author of this blog, is fully embracing the Chinese culture and learning about its history, its food, and its language. I, as a very non-huayi, am also doing the same including learning the language. This does not mean that she has returned to the "motherland" and is no longer American.
The difference, and its not subtle, is that Chinese people in mainland China want (in some cases nearly demand it) the "other" identity to be thrown away and the Chinese-side fully embraced. There is absolutely nothing wrong with embracing both sides but you, I and Diana are not the people to convince its the other 1.3 billion people that need to be convinced of that.
Apparently you haven't had this experience in China yet and that's awesome. I hope that you never do because all of the huayi that I've spoken to that have had this experience they are not happy with it.
-Jacob
Hold up. Let's get the
Anonymous - Hold up. Let's get the facts straight. I
1)learned Mandarin on my own free will as an adult, in addition to retaining the Cantonese I learned as a kid
2) moved to Beijing in order to learn more about Chinese culture and cuisine
3) run a food blog about food in China, and have put an exorbitant amount of work and time into it
How am I still "pushing away" my heritage? I think short of renouncing my US citizenship, I'm doing as much as I can to "embrace" my Chinese-ness.
All this back and forth stems from your displeasure of my use of the word "us" when speaking of Americans. I don't think I have written anything on this blog that actually indicates, or even suggests, that I don't think of myself as having Chinese heritage.
I know what huayi is and
I know what huayi is and Jacob, aren't you Diana's 'ultra-white' laowai [1] partner?
There have been a few other anonymous writers since my post. No one is suggesting Diana can't consider herself Amercian (even though being American is becoming increasingly embarrasing in the recent years, but hey, if she still considers herself American, good for her, go ahead) It is just misleading when she calls herself American rather than Chinese-American, or American-Chinese.
1. it's laowai, not laowei, as you wrote.
As I have repeatedly
As I have repeatedly stated, I call myself both Chinese-American and American. You obviously picked out one instance of me saying "American", and either ignored or didn't read any of my other posts in which I add the "Chinese" in front. 没办法。
America may have received a bad reputation in recent years, but I would say in recent months its reputation has been improving thanks to a certain presidential candidate most other countries seem to love. Can't say the same about any politician or policies from a certain other large country.
Any further comments should be emailed to me instead of posted here, as this is getting too off-topic.
Sorry I never meant to imply
Sorry I never meant to imply that you didn't know what huayi is, the reference was for those that may not understand what the word is/means since it is not commonly used in the English language.
而且我写措了， 你是对了。下一次我会用“老外”或者“外国人”。Sorry I flip my pinyin sometimes I blame the autocomplete phones ;)
While I don't agree with your statement that its misleading to call herself simply American I will refrain from posting a long response as we are off-topic from this blog. Diana and I have both offered to follow up with you via email if you'd like to have your voice heard and to clarify this conversation.
-Jacob
A different anonymous -
A different anonymous - Ignorance is being a huayi and not having an understanding/intention to learn/ desire to lean some of the language and history of China.
it is not true that Chinese people demand huayi throw away their other identity and embrace the Chinese identity fully!! A (very) minority of Chinese people may think that way, but the majority are much more understanding.
Agreed
It is not true that the all Chinese people demand that huayi throw out their identity, in my last post I was exaggerating but in my experience its far from a minority. I live in China and attend Chinese language courses with a number of Huayi and their experiences are fairly similar (what I already described).
Your experiences and mine may differ but it is acknowledged that this phenomena happens and it does, at the very least, help to explain why there might be frustration when a comment like this crops up.
Also not sure who the ignorance comment was meant for, my hope is that it wasn't for Diana as she has (a) traveled around most of China, (b) speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin (and reads and writes), (c) is studying Chinese food in China, and (d) fully acknowledges and embraces her Chinese history and past but simply wanted to identity with Americans at a soccer game by using the term "us" when referring to the Americans.
-Jacob