Although alcohol is one of the universal social lubricants of
dining culture around the world, I've found that how it is used in
China is very different to how it is used in my Australian
homeland. In China, high and fast consumption leads to evenings
that have a lot of team building, a lot of toasts, and a lot of
fun. On the other hand, in Australia the choice of alcohol, and the
customs associated with it, often leads to evenings that are not as
much fun, but perhaps more intellectual.
In China, I've found that the custom is to drink a lot of baijiu
in short periods of time. As a consequence, it has been very easy
for me to get to those high levels of intoxication where I'm
comfortable singing Shirley Bassey's Goldfinger, pulling up a
female to dance the Tango, walking around to toast people, or
posing for photos with friends, and feeling like they are my best
mates in the world.
In Australia, however, I drink a lot of wine. Etiquette
stipulates that it is taboo to skull, or "bottom-up" wine. To skull
would be very disrespectful to the wine, as well as the guest that
ordered or brought the wine.
As wine should never be skulled, it takes its admirers on a
slower journey towards intoxication. Whereas in China I've started
drinking about 7?PM and have been very drunk at 10 PM. In
Australia, it was not until 1?AM that I've felt that my limit
is near. By this time of the night, however, most people are
getting ready for bed, and listening to me singing Goldfinger is
the last thing on their mind.
As it takes me longer to get drunk in Australia, we fill the
time with a lot of conversation. We might talk about the wine we
are drinking, politics, other people's lives, ambitions, scientific
theories, relationships or sex. The wine acts as a social lubricant
so that I can speak freely, offer my ideas, or explore someone
else's ideas.
In China, on the other hand, my conversations have often been
interrupted with advice such as "less talk, more drink". A short
time later, the tables are put away, the karaoke starts, and the
fun begins.
Despite all the fun that I've had with Chinese dining culture,
it does frustrate me a little. For one thing, I've found the nights
drinking baijiu take a toll on my body. It really hasn't been since
my teenage years that I've been so drunk that seeing becomes
difficult. Aside from my physical concerns with binge drinking,
sometimes I've wanted to have a serious conversation and felt that
intoxication gets in the way of it.
I teach English to Chinese scholars, and they are on the cutting
edge of Chinese thought. Because I'd love to pick their minds, it
seems a bit of a waste to have a man who has worked on the Chinese
space program sitting next to me, and instead of expanding my mind
with the wisdom that he applied when reaching for the stars, the
only thing he says is "bottoms up".
By Chad Swanson
(China Daily May 24, 2007)