Cultural Differences

Now that I have been living in Hong Kong for almost three weeks I want to share some of the cultural differences that an American could expect when traveling to this incredible city.

The biggest differences have become apparent in restaurants. Unlike in the United States, tables have no designated server and when the table is ready to order someone simply raises their hand and says Mm-goi which is the Cantonese word for thank you, excuse me, and please (very useful and the only Cantonese word I can remember). Once the food is ordered it does not come out all at once. Instead, it simply comes when it has been prepared and there is no waiting for others to get their food before you start eating. I think part of this difference in explained by the fact that most Hong Kong people do not order themselves a meal. Instead, the table orders food and then everyone tries what they are interested in so when the food comes out everyone starts eating. We try each others food here, but when we're not with locals we tend to stick with just ordering personal dishes. The multiple plates and sharing concept (as far as I understand) is called Dim Sum. It's similar to the idea of tapas in Spain which just mean smaller plates of food so everyone can try a little of everything.

Dim Sum with spinach, dumplings, chicken feet, duck, pound cake, vermicelli, tofu and already consumed pork buns

Following the meal it seems as though everywhere we have eaten one pays the bill at the front (money is not just let on the table as it is in the States) and tipping is not customary as a 10% service charge is automatically added to most bills.

Another big difference is the frequency of using "thank you." Similarly to my experience in Spain we have been told by locals that we say thank you too much. Service is expected in Hong Kong and no thank you is required when someone completes a service they are paid to do for you. Additionally no thank you is exchanged between friends. I suppose it is just implied. This may not always be the case and I do not want to overgeneralize but we have been told (and noticed) that we say thank you much more frequently than the local Hong Kong people with whom we interact.

Finally costs are much different here. For example, one bus ride is HK$1.90 the equivalent of US$.25. Much preferable to the US$2.25 it costs to take a bus in Chicago! Taxis, however, are just as expensive. Food is also cheaper if you know where to go. We have finally gotten more confident and started taking the bus to new places to avoid the small selection of restaurants near Lingnan and have found some very good meal values. Obviously not an exhaustive list, but just a few things to note for future students!