The Top 10 Reasons Why Chinese People are Skinny

This is more the rule than the exception!

In addition to being good at math, Chinese people and others of Asian descent are also known to be skinny. I have compiled here the Top Ten reasons why I believe Chinese people are skinny along with pictures.

Please feel free to comment!

Top Ten Reasons Why Chinese People are Skinny

Clean and Healthy

1. The average traditional Chinese person eats mainly vegetables, fruits and rice/noodles. They also eat a lot of fish and does not eat much red meat.

2. Chinese food is usually prepared steamed, boiled or stir fried. Never deep-fried unless you go to a Westernized Chinese Take-Out place.    

3. Chinese people have less exposure to sugar - the traditional breakfast is usually rice porridge or noodles not cereals or pancakes that can contain a lot of sugar. Also Chinese people drink a lot of tea as opposed to juices/soda.

Everyone for themselves

4. Chinese people almost always eat family style (sharing of dishes). This pressures them to save some for others and gives them a variety of both healthy and not as healthy foods.

5. Chopsticks - you can only fit so much between those 2 skinny sticks (like Jerry Seinfeld said "Which is more efficient - Pool Cues or a Shovel?". Same goes for the small rice bowl.

We don't need Gym Membership

6. Physically Active - Check out any park around 6am and I'm sure you'll find Chinese people doing Tai Chi or some form of exercise.

7. There is social pressure to stay skinny. Chinese people can be ruthless when talking about the obese especially for Chinese women. Mothers also tend to be tough on their "fat" daughters. 

The Exception!

8. Genes - Who knows, I guess it's possible (but there is always the exception as well)

9. China use to be and is still in some areas very poor so there are no opportunities to overeat. Also when you are poor, meat is a luxury.

You thought your commute was bad

10. Chinese people work hard and we pretty much walk or bike everywhere. Cars only recently came into play in China and many families still do not have access to a car. 

As China is becoming more and more wealthy and Westernized (foods, snacks and lifestyles), it seems that many of these reasons will no longer be valid and I believe we will see a rise in the obesity rate of the Chinese population along with the health problems that come along with it. 

perhaps it has already begun...

How to Use Chopsticks in 5 Minutes - Short and Sweet Guide

Chopsticks, the preferred eating utensil by all Chinese people, is very strongly associated with Chinese and other Asian cultures. Some non-Asians may never use chopsticks within their lifetime, although the popularity of sushi restaurants have spurred an unprecedented increase in chopstick usage. The picture to the right is the way I have been holding chopsticks ever since I could remember. I always had the impression that the instructions for using chopsticks were imprinted in the genes of Chinese people so naturally I never gave it another thought. Recently, I was with some friends discussing the proper usage of chopsticks and it has come to my attention that my method was wrong. Although I have heard similar passing comments in the past, I never thought to change it because my method was working just fine and no one really pressed me to do so...until now.

Holding chopsticks the wrong way can be considered bad etiquette so I have decided to go on a 90 day program, starting today, to try to rewire my brain to correctly handle chopsticks. I have also added a new poll on the right sidebar that will last exactly 90 days as a good way to keep track of time. During these 90 days, I will try my best to use the correct form for every meal involving chopsticks. My initial tries have been pretty tiring on my fingers but my friends assure me that this transition is possible.

For those who don't know the proper chopstick technique, here is a brief tutorial and an image taken from Wikipedia.

1. Place one chopstick (thicker side) between the palm and the base of the thumb, using the ring finger to support the thinner side. Using the thumb, squeeze the chopstick down while pushing the chopstick up using the ring finger. The chopstick should be stationary and stable.
2. Using the tips of the thumb, index and middle fingers, hold the other chopstick like a pen. It is important to make sure that the tip of the two chopsticks line up.
3. Pivot the upper chopstick up and down while keeping the bottom chopstick still.
4. With enough practice, the chopsticks act like pincers.

So comparing my way to the correct way, here are some sure signs that you are holding your chopsticks the WRONG WAY:

• The thick part of the chopsticks cross. This basically happens when you move both chopsticks as opposed to keeping one stationary.

• It is extremely hard for you to pick up thin things lying flat on a plate.

• People tell you that you are holding chopsticks the wrong way.

Here are some proper Chinese etiquette concerning chopsticks:

1. Do not use chopsticks to make noise during normal dining circumstances.
2. Do not use chopsticks to stab food unless it is to help cut large food items.
3. NEVER leave chopsticks standing vertically in any bowl of rice or food because stick-like objects standing vertically are used for offerings to deceased family members.
4. The thick end of the chopsticks may be used to transfer food from a common dish to one's bowl although this may be rude in other cultures.
5. When rice is in a bowl, the Chinese will hold the bowl to one's mouth and use chopsticks to push rice directly into the mouth whereas Koreans find it rude to pick up the bowl from the table and eat from it (no wonder they use metal rice bowls!).

I'm sure there are other rules concerning chopsticks, so feel free to post in the comments section on anything chopsticks related. Wish me luck!

The 8 Fastest Ways to Offend a Chinese Person

Unfortunately, Chinese people are not known for being polite: We talk loudly, don't wait on lines and we rarely respect other people's personal space. I am not even going to talk about the spitting, shoving and staring. Despite being quite rude, Chinese people can also be easily offended.

Here are the 8 Fastest Ways to Offend a Chinese Person:

1. Gift a Clock:

Certain gifts that may be harmless in Western culture will deeply and instantaneously offend a Chinese person. For example: when you gift a clock to a Chinese person, you are basically telling them that you are counting down to their death. This will automatically put you on their sh*t list. For other bad gift ideas, click here.

2. Serve Food with Your Used Chopsticks:
If you want to gross out a Chinese person, take the chopsticks you've been eating with and start serving everyone. The polite and hygienic way would be to use separate serving chopsticks or the unused end of your chopsticks to serve others.

3. Invite them to Dinner and Ask them to Go Dutch:
If you have ever been invited by a Chinese person to dinner, you'll notice that they will almost always pay for the bill. This is a part of the Chinese culture which means if you invite a Chinese person to dinner, they will expect you to do the same. If you ask them to go dutch, they will most certainly pay their portion but don't expect them to accept your invitation the next time.

4. Badmouth Mao Tse-Tung:
If you are with someone that is from Mainland China, do not say anything bad about Mao Tse-Tung (also written as Mao Zedong). He is beloved by the Chinese people so even if you have undisputed dirt about Mao, it is better to keep it to yourself. Unless of course your aim was to offend. Citroen, the French automaker, did just that (click here for the story).

5. Imply Japan is More Superior than China:
Japan and its people are a very sensitive topic for the Chinese. During the 2nd Sino-Japanese War, Japan committed many atrocities concerning the Chinese people (i.e. Nanjing Massacre). These abuses have left a huge scar on China and have been dramatized in countless Chinese tv shows and movies (i.e. Ip Man). The Chinese people have a negative sentiment towards the Japanese and any mention about the Japanese being better than the Chinese will deeply offend.

6. Not Drinking Enough:
This is probably more prevalent among men. If you go out with a Chinese man for drinks and he toasts you to go bottoms up ("Gan Bei!"), you better go bottoms up. If you don't, you WILL offend him and he will begin to question your manhood. By not drinking the same amount or more, you are telling him that you do not respect him enough to drink the same amount he just drank when he toasted you. This was one of the main reasons why I could not live in China - my liver couldn't handle it. I will detail the etiquette of drinking in a future post.

7. Point Out Their Mistakes: 
You've probably heard about this thing call "face". Chinese people will do everything in their power to not "lose face" and to save the face of those around them. When you point out a Chinese person's mistake, you've basically humiliated them by shining a spotlight on their error, which prevents them from saving face. This is extremely offensive and it doesn't matter what your intentions are. I have to admit that I have been guilty of this and I have seen the immediate change in the person's attitude towards me. Even to this day, I think he holds a grudge against me.

8. Slant Your Eyes with Your Fingers
This is perhaps the fastest way to offend a Chinese person. 

This is offensive!

If you know of any other ways to quickly offend Chinese people or if you are a Chinese person that keeps getting offended by something in particular, please leave a comment.