Let's share some stories which may sound completely ridiculous in a different context. My grandmother was living during very tough times in Malaysia, Imperial Japanese army tough to be exact and obviously education wasn't a priority as they were preoccupied with not dying. It may be belittling to some but I found it fascinating.

My grandmother was commenting on her disapproval of my cousin's wife not eating rice. (we're Chinese).

Her : How is it possible that she can live without eating rice

My Dad : She still eats meat and vegetables, people can live on that

Her: She won't be able to have children if she doesn't eat rice. People must eat rice.

My Dad : Ang-mos (Westerners) don't eat rice, look at them, they are still fine and having babies.

Her : *snapped* But Ang-mos aren't people!

My Dad bursts into laughter

:D

sweetsh

Malaysia13 Posts

October 13 2012 10:58 GMT

Is your cousin's wife ang mo?

Jerubaal

United States7684 Posts

October 13 2012 11:20 GMT

IT FINALLY COMES OUT!

AnachronisticAnarchy

United States2957 Posts

October 13 2012 11:45 GMT

Well then. I guess not getting a decent education does more than keep your mind clean of thousands of hours of algebra.

docvoc

United States5491 Posts

October 13 2012 15:45 GMT

Silly westerners, the think they are people

. I think we all have a grandmother (or 2 in my case) like this lol.

StateofReverie

United States633 Posts

October 13 2012 15:58 GMT

i dont speak korena. my grandparents dont speak english. They went through a lot to escape north korea. Unfortunately I will probably never understand them

ThomasjServo

15244 Posts

October 13 2012 16:32 GMT

Not sure if it precisely fits, but I always thought this story about my Grandfather while serving in the US military in Papua New Guinea was funny. His platoon was a reconnaissance group, after six or so months ahead of the main US force in the jungle they were pulled back to Australia for some relaxation.

They all had a significant amount of back pay they had yet to collect so all came back relatively flush for the time. Grandpa and some of his buddies came across a hotel for sale that happened to come with a full bar as a part of the sales price. Rather than deal with GI quarters the group pitched in, bought the hotel drank the bar and lived there while on leave and proceeded to sell it before returning to combat.

I cannot imagine this happening at any other place and time. For curious parties, Grandpa caught a million dollar wound flew back to Chicago and had a very successful career as a reporter for various papers in the city.

heliusx

United States2306 Posts

October 13 2012 16:39 GMT

Westerners eat a lot of rice

South USA grows shit loads of it.

JieXian

Malaysia4677 Posts

October 13 2012 17:42 GMT

On October 13 2012 19:58 sweetsh wrote:
Is your cousin's wife ang mo?

nope, she's a normal local chinese

On October 13 2012 20:45 AnachronisticAnarchy wrote:
Well then. I guess not getting a decent education does more than keep your mind clean of thousands of hours of algebra.

To be fair they were Westerners she knew were the British colonialists. The Hongkies called them ghosts. I wonder if that was on her mind, though she isn't Cantonese.

On October 14 2012 01:32 ThomasjServo wrote:
Not sure if it precisely fits, but I always thought this story about my Grandfather while serving in the US military in Papua New Guinea was funny. His platoon was a reconnaissance group, after six or so months ahead of the main US force in the jungle they were pulled back to Australia for some relaxation.

They all had a significant amount of back pay they had yet to collect so all came back relatively flush for the time. Grandpa and some of his buddies came across a hotel for sale that happened to come with a full bar as a part of the sales price. Rather than deal with GI quarters the group pitched in, bought the hotel drank the bar and lived there while on leave and proceeded to sell it before returning to combat.

I cannot imagine this happening at any other place and time. For curious parties, Grandpa caught a million dollar wound flew back to Chicago and had a very successful career as a reporter for various papers in the city.

Pitching in to buy a hotel wth?

ThomasjServo

15244 Posts

October 13 2012 18:02 GMT

#10

Pitching in to buy a hotel wth?

They all combined their money to buy the hotel.

JieXian

Malaysia4677 Posts

October 13 2012 18:43 GMT

#11

On October 14 2012 03:02 ThomasjServo wrote:

Show nested quote +

They all combined their money to buy the hotel.

I know what it meant hahaha I'm saying that it wouldn't be remotely possible today

ThomasjServo

15244 Posts

October 13 2012 20:15 GMT

#12

On October 14 2012 03:43 JieXian wrote:

Show nested quote +

I know what it meant hahaha I'm saying that it wouldn't be remotely possible today

XD I missed the wth. I am at work have to be kind of sneaky. Yeah he had an interesting time during the war. Following that Gramps survived Yellow and Dengue Fever, Malaria and a host of other ailments. He was one tough SOB.