On Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 2:30 PM, Suresh Ramasubramanian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote:
> Nishant Shah [29/08/08 14:26 +0530]: > >> I am not very sure about the Chinese greeting. But only speaking from my >> experience in Taiwan, where I was for ten months. I did not find random >> people walking up to me and asking me if I have had my food. The standard >> greeting was 'ni hao' and the question about food only came up in close >> knit >> > > ni hao is the equivalent of "hi". Ummm... yes, I know 'ni hao' is the equivalent of 'hi' or 'how are you?' to be more specific. > > > The food greeting comes up with people you know closer than "just met this > bloke". Would you invite j.random bloke to dinner? That's not just "are > you well / have you eaten" - its also an immediate offer to get you some > food if you're hungry. Which is why you ALWAYS answer "yes you have eaten", > unless you know the person really well and he HAS actually invited you to > dinner. > And no, in my experience (subjective, interpretive blah blah), in Bangalore, the question about food is actually used as a conversation starter in casual settings. People have met me at eleven in the night and asked me if I have had my food. I found it bewildering in the beginning because I am probably not used to such extreme hospitality. I now find it endearing, because in the instances where I have confessed at not having had a meal, people have gone way out of their way (that is a weird phrase, I know) to find some food for me. That's what endears Bangalore to me. I do not buy into the hostility argument. I have found home here. But I did, as I mentioned, five years ago, find it strange, that people should be asking me about food. It doesn't turn up in, for instance, Gujarat - unless somebody's come to your home (in which case you are responsible for the hospitality) and you serve them food and drinks. That is not always the case in Bangalore. For me. > > Nobody asks you "oota madithi?" when they meet you the first time. > Chennagitheera (are you fine / well), or namaskara (like the thai sawatdee > kha, with the wai <- thai equiv of the namaskar). Not the first time. I don't think anybody was making a first time argument. The observation was about relative strangers or acquaintances using that particular "oota aitha?" form as a conversation opener. Or maybe I just know really caring and concerned people! :) > > > suresh > Nishant -- Nishant Shah Doctoral Candidate, CSCS, Bangalore. Director (Research), Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore Asia Awards Fellow, 2008-09 # 0-9740074884
