Sometimes I am tired of hearing Europeans saying, oh you Chinese never go to fiestas. So what??? Is it a fault? Is it a crime? Why do we [have to] go to fiestas? Why could not I stay at home and go to bed at 12? I agree it is a good way to meet new friends, but it is not the only one. It is not my culture, and it’s true that I don’t like to stay up late until 4 or 5 at dawn drinking alcohol until I am awfully drunk, and I prefer to get up at 8 and study because education and knowledge are very important for us, so I don’t think I have the responsibilities to follow the Spanish fiesta culture just because I am here. I do agree that when in Rome, do as Romans do. The point is, I’ve tried several fiestas, and I found I didn’t have fun in many of them, I would prefer to cook food with friends together and share our meals, then I don’t think it is necessary to join in more fiestas just to break the stereotype that Chinese never go to fiestas. I did try new things and expose myself to different cultures, I like some of them, but not others. <o:p></o:p>
The other is all westerners would ask me whether we eat dogs in China. I am super angry about this. The truth is, in some areas, it is true that there are people who eat dogs, but not all of us. And in Korea, some people also eat dogs. But, could you please think of yourself? In Spain, people also eat horses and rabbits; in Northern Europe like Finland, people eat reindeer; in Australia, there are people who eat kangaroos, etc., which in my opinion are the same as eating dogs. I understand that dogs in Europe and many other countries are of high social status, and people treat them as a member of family, but in Chinese culture, they are not, though as time passes by, they are getting high position. In China, there are many set expressions in which dogs have a negative connotations, such as 狐朋狗友 (friends like foxes and dogs, referring to friends that bring negative influence to you), 狼心狗肺 (the hearts of wolves, the lungs of dogs, used to describe a cruel and unscrupulous person)<o:p></o:p>
Westerners are all proud of their tolerance to difference, such as homosexual marriage, religions, etc., but to be honest, I don’t really feel that they are truly tolerant in these respects mentioned above.
