Why Doesn't the US Observe Chinese New Year?

Question: It is 2011, why doesn't the United States and other developed countries observe Chinese New Year (The biggest holiday by far in China) as an official holiday despite observing other ethnic related holidays?

Answer: Because Chinese people don't vote and we don't stand up enough for ourselves.

You want to change the rules, you need to play the game.

(Think of all of the children who have to painfully contemplate whether to sacrifice their "perfect attendance" award for a day off with their family)

Petition your Councilman, Congressman, Whateverman today!!

Chinese People ARE Good at Math

Pythagorean theorem, 2x + 6 = 30, isosceles triangles. Terms that bring a sense of nostalgia to Chinese people all over the US. It brings back such good memories because math was something I, in fact almost every Chinese person I know, was always good at. Just think back to your junior high school or high school math classes and you'll soon realize that this popular stereotype is actually true (of course, this only applies to schools that have Chinese students). We just have a thing for numbers. If you take all the SAT scores for Chinese people in the US, I would not be surprised if 95% of those scores had a higher math score when compared to verbal. Math always seemed intuitive and easy. It always just made sense. Whether it is algebra, geometry, trigonometry or even calculus, we find it equally unchallenging. Maybe the Chinese are genetically predisposed to excel in math? It is hard to find reasons not to think so.

I can still remember when my parents used to look at my high school calculus textbook and scoff at how this level of math was being taught in middle schools all over China. This usually progressed into a tirade on the slack educational system in the US and how the kids in China are getting a much better education. I've always wondered what type of math Chinese students would be doing in college if they studied calculus during middle school. To this day I still don't know, if you can shed any light on this, please do so in the comments section of this article.

Why Chinese Students Study Engineering

Chinese families have always placed a heavy emphasis on practical jobs. Chinese parents just can't understand college majors that don't lead to "successful" jobs. Occupations fitting the mold are Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, Computer Science/Programmer, Pharmacists and Finance/Business related jobs. Technical schools such as those for Architecture, Hotel/Restaurant Management and Dentistry are also accepted. College majors that traditional Chinese parents and relatives understand are pre-med, economics, business, math and any type of engineering or physical science related major.

Naturally this would lead to ignorance and disdain for the more "useless" liberal arts majors such as sociology, Asian studies, any languages, art, performing arts, history, etc. Chinese people can't understand majors that do not translate into a practical job. If you have a liberal arts major, the best way to save yourself the trouble of having to explain to the older traditional Chinese is to say you are going to become a lawyer. Being a Spanish major means nothing to Chinese parents but being a Spanish major with the intent of going to Law School is infinitely more respectable (in Chinese eyes of course, no offense to Spanish majors).

Although this may seem ridiculous to some, just look at the percentage of Chinese people for each major and I guarantee that it will be heavily skewed to the more "practical" majors. If you are Chinese, just look at what major you and your other Chinese friends chose to pursue. I'm pretty Americanized yet my major was Chemistry and Economics during college and most of the Chinese people I knew were engineers, math, economics or in physical science majors.

One thing that ranks higher than obtaining practical jobs on the Chinese list of priorities is the stability and safety of a certain occupation. Chinese parents love their children and they also expect them to take care of them when they become old (more on this in another article) so any job that may have inherent risks and dangers are frowned upon. Positions that are consider dangerous and/or heavily frowned upon are policemen, firemen, inner city teachers and positions that pay solely on commission (including freelance work) and have no health benefits.

Perhaps one day, Chinese people will break out of this mold and accept more liberal arts majors but having many of these beliefs hard-wired into our system, I wouldn't hold my breath.

How to Say "Thank You" the Right Way in Chinese

I am ashamed to admit it but until recently (very recently) I have been saying "thank you" all wrong.

Both 唔該 ("mh goi" in Cantonese) and 多謝 ("daw jeh" in Cantonese) mean "thank you". So naturally, thinking they meant the same thing (which in my defense, they sort of do), I've been using these two phrases interchangeably. One day, my faux pas was brought to my attention when I was ridiculed at my fiancee's mother's house for saying thank you (唔該 "mh goi") which I thought was the polite thing to do after having dinner at someone else's home. The funny (or sad) thing is that when they tried to explain the difference, I had no clue what they were talking about.

That is why I am writing this post. I hope by explaining the distinction between these two words that have a deceptively similar meaning, I'll finally be able to make sense of when to use what.

This is what I have found:

唔該 (mh goi) is used when someone does something for you that is expected or requested. For example, when you ask someone to hand you a tissue, you would say 唔該 "mh goi" to acknowledge he/she has helped you.

多謝 (daw jeh) is pretty much used all other times.

So getting back to that home cooked dinner at my future mother-in-law's house: I basically told her that it was expected of her to cook for me whenever I came over for dinner.

Talk about trying to be polite.