When my family moved to America from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect old people. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.
I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One day, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the old people. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive (敏感的) Americans are and how they dislike the description of being “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the couple. After the couple heard my explanation and realized that the problem was caused by cultural differences, they laughed.
In my village in China, people are proud of being old because old age means having rich knowledge and experience. Young people always respect old people because they can learn from them.
However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since it shows that a person is going to retire or that his health is falling. So many people try to keep themselves from aging by doing exercises or jogging, and some women put on makeup, hoping to look young.
When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect old people, they got angry because I made them feel they were old. Clearly I had said something they didn’t want to hear.
After that, I changed the way I had been with old people. It is not that I don’t respect them anymore; I still respect them, but now I no longer express it the Chinese way.