Top Ten Reasons For Being...

[Saim]

Not "popular", but there are just so many Chinese restaurants here and everyone has gone yum cha at least once so most people know about chicken feet.

I had never heard of the phrase "yum cha" before this thread, but I'm a banana-bender and not a worldly Sydneysider like you

Where abouts are you in Queensland anyway?

I live on the Sunny Coast. Have you ever been down here? I've been to Sydney - it's a pretty city, but I prefer Melbourne. But anything's better than Brisbane

[hlysnan]

I live on the Sunny Coast. Have you ever been down here? I've been to Sydney - it's a pretty city, but I prefer Melbourne. But anything's better than Brisbane

I've been there a few times when I was small. I feel sorry for you having to deal with hordes of drunk teens every year. I would prefer Melbourne, but I think the gangs make it unappealing. My favourite Australian city would probably have to be Canberra.

[Saim]

I live on the Sunny Coast. Have you ever been down here? I've been to Sydney - it's a pretty city, but I prefer Melbourne. But anything's better than Brisbane

I've been there a few times when I was small. I feel sorry for you having to deal with hordes of drunk teens every year.

Eugh, tell me about it.

I also live pretty near prime tourist area in Mooloolaba so I get lots of loud drunks wandering the street.

There's lots of great things about Australian culture, but the alcoholism it promotes isn't one of them. :\

I would prefer Melbourne, but I think the gangs make it unappealing. My favourite Australian city would probably have to be Canberra.

I've never been, but I haven't heard fantastic reviews.

[Tenebrarum]

My favourite Australian city would probably have to be Canberra.

Sydney kills people with drugs. Melbourne kills with gangs. Canberra, with boredom.

[suklaa]

Top Ten Reasons For Being Chinese
1. You can eat with chopsticks and laugh at other nationalities who can't even use them properly.
2. Gambling is part of the culture.
3. Crispy Wonton
4. You go a beautiful brown colour when you sunbathe...
5. You KNOW you are the greatest nation on Earth.
6. You can eat ANYTHING! Anything that moves.
7. And whilst you eat anything, you can make sucky noises, chew & talk with your mouth open and then spit the bones onto the floor.
8. You can impress your friends with your latest model of mobile phone.
9. You can ask everyone how much salary they earn, how much is their rent and other personal financial questions.
10. There's just so MANY of us....

6. and 9. are not true!

6. China is large, and certainly huge cultural differences in different regions, and even though in Canton, they don't eat ANY kind of moving creatures. But yeah, you can put it as a joke as you wish. But this is more true in South-East Asia, I guess.
9. This is not even close to reality! Even with good friends, it's not so comfortable to ask about their salaries, this is considered as a very sensitive topic. Basically, topics involving money are sensitive.

Give them a second chance :
1. Oktoberfest.
2. Oktoberfest-beer.
3. BMW.
4. VW.
5. Audi.
6. Mercedes.
7. On a highway you can travel at a speed that would bring you to jail
in any other country of the world.
8. You do not have to learn German as a foreign language.
9. You think Sauerkraut is delicious.
10. Contrary to common belief laughing is not forbidden by law (yet).

And:
- You don't need excuse to throw cigarette butts on the ground - including at bus stops
- Delicious sausages!
- You can simply leave your alcohol bottles on the street, even smashing them is okay
- You're considered as strong women!
- You have a special sense of humor that other nations usually don't understand.
- You don't need to pay for women
- You use every chance you can to throw a party
- Very punctual buses, trams and trains except in winter
- Everything works according to plans, no worries!

[hlysnan]

9. This is not even close to reality! Even with good friends, it's not so comfortable to ask about their salaries, this is considered as a very sensitive topic. Basically, topics involving money are sensitive.

With my Chinese friends, it's very different. Whenever someone gets a job, the first question is "how much does it pay" and I tend to receive disappointed looks when I reply that I don't ask these sort of questions.

[mōdgethanc]

Half of these claims aren't remotely true; they're funny stereotypes.

[suklaa]

9. This is not even close to reality! Even with good friends, it's not so comfortable to ask about their salaries, this is considered as a very sensitive topic. Basically, topics involving money are sensitive.

With my Chinese friends, it's very different. Whenever someone gets a job, the first question is "how much does it pay" and I tend to receive disappointed looks when I reply that I don't ask these sort of questions.

I saw you live in Australia. I guess your Chinese friends might be oversea Chinese? That's a different environment from in China indeed.

I would be bothered to be asked such a question, and if they seemed even disappointed that I never asked them, I think this is weird.

[Anla'shok]

Haha these lists are great! I've got one to add:

Top 10 Reasons for being Turkish

1. Ataturk.
2. You have at least one or two pictures of Ataturk in your house/office/wherever.
3. You have at least one or two statues of Ataturk standing in your hometown.
4. You're Muslim, but you don't really practice it.
5. The Greeks are your worst enemy.
6. The Armenians are your worst enemy too.
7. The Ottoman victory at Gallipoli is reason enough to make fun of British/Australian people (that's what I've heard, at least. I don't know if that's actually true).
8. Turkish delight.
7. Turkish coffee.
8. Raki.
9. It's imperative that you offer your guests tea as soon as they walk through the door.
10. It's Istanbul, not Constantinople.

[mōdgethanc]

What about Turkish delight on a moonlit night?

[Tenebrarum]

Sex.

[mōdgethanc]

Sex?

[Tenebrarum]

Turkish delight on a moonlit night = Sex.

Oh wait, more like... Turkish delight on a moonlit night > Sex.
Although I've never had sex myself, I know that must be the case.

[mōdgethanc]

I'm actually not a big fan of it. Sex is way better, you should try it.

[Hao Ran]

Wait. What? Here in Singapore, it's perfectly normal to discuss salaries with your friends. Hell, we talk about them all the time.

[kalemiye]

Haha these lists are great! I've got one to add:

Top 10 Reasons for being Turkish

1. Ataturk.
2. You have at least one or two pictures of Ataturk in your house/office/wherever.
3. You have at least one or two statues of Ataturk standing in your hometown.
4. You're Muslim, but you don't really practice it.
5. The Greeks are your worst enemy.
6. The Armenians are your worst enemy too.
7. The Ottoman victory at Gallipoli is reason enough to make fun of British/Australian people (that's what I've heard, at least. I don't know if that's actually true).
8. Turkish delight.
7. Turkish coffee.
8. Raki.
9. It's imperative that you offer your guests tea as soon as they walk through the door.
10. It's Istanbul, not Constantinople.

So, according to this list, the last things worth being Turkish for happened in the late 19th century/early 20th. Somebody should update the list.

7. The Ottoman victory at Gallipoli is reason enough to make fun of British/Australian people (that's what I've heard, at least. I don't know if that's actually true).

This one is not true at all. People in Turkey respect a lot Autralians and people from Neo-Zeland because they know that they didn't want to be in the war, plus there were episodes of friendship between soldiers from both sides. As far as the British are concerned, I have never heard a Turk making fun of them because of the battle of Gallipoli.

[hlysnan]

Episodes of friendship between soldiers from both sides? I don't think we learnt this.

I don't know about them not wanting to be in the war, but I do know they didn't want to be at Gallipoli. I mean, you're going up steep hills facing maxim guns, artillery and mines. Probably one of the worst places to be during WWI. As for how Australians feel about this, there's no grudge or animosity towards the Turks, but for the British instead.

[kalemiye]

Episodes of friendship between soldiers from both sides? I don't think we learnt this.

I don't know about them not wanting to be in the war, but I do know they didn't want to be at Gallipoli. I mean, you're going up steep hills facing maxim guns, artillery and mines. Probably one of the worst places to be during WWI. As for how Australians feel about this, there's no grudge or animosity towards the Turks, but for the British instead.

Yes, the soldiers used to exchange tobacco and food although they couldn't even understand each other. Also, the people that were held prisoners by the Turks were not mistreated, which is something that really surprised the soldiers since in their training days they were told the Turks would have no mercy with them.

[loqu]

Although I've never had sex myself, I know that must be the case.

You're waiting for our marriage? Oh, how sweet!

[mōdgethanc]

Fuck Ataturk.

I just said that because in my country, I won't go to prison for it.