Goodbye Guangzhou, and Your Legion of 'Testosterone-Fueled' Waiters!

[Barry Kuphal]

Man, I've truly broadened my horizons in Guangzhou!

• A little heads-up for everyone — if you go to restaurants here, the "aunties" (older female servers in eateries) tend to have quite a "fiery" attitude!
  • • Just a heads up for friends visiting Guangzhou:
    • If you encounter servers being particularly blunt or appear to be impatient, don't take it personally. This is relatively common among the older crowd at authentic, local establishments. They may simply be straightforward in nature or just so busy they can't afford to be too genteel.
    • Tiny tip from me: We're all here to enjoy the food and the tastes of Guangzhou, right? If the service isn't perfect, and the food is great, just let it go. No one wants their enjoyment to be affected over something so insignificant!
• Oh, and it's still me, that dashing man who stands 1.92 meters tall, wandering around everywhere! Dear Guangzhou ladies and gentlemen, let's acquaint ourselves! # #GuangzhouFeastTour #MakeFriends

[Mattie Lockman]

Hahahahahaha, is it because of the way they talk?

[Miss Alison Collier]

Hahaha, yeah, they all sound pretty aggressive, like they have fiery tempers.

[Elsa Wyman]

Actually, I think it's quite normal for them to sound 'aggressive'; it's a characteristic of the language's intonation. Compared to Mandarin, Cantonese sentences often end with a falling tone.

[Ms. Alberta Moen]

Thanks for the expert explanation! I agree, that makes sense. It seems that's why they also tend to speak more forcefully even when speaking Cantonese-accented Mandarin, which can sound quite harsh or aggressive to outsiders.

[Miss Angela Cormier]

They learned it from Hong Kong.

[Lula Schmidt]

They really learned the bad habits.

[Iris Marquardt]

Hahaha, I sound even fiercer! It's fine, they treat all of us Cantonese people this way. Don't worry, it's not like they're singling you out or discriminating.

[Marion Barrows]

That's a relief, hahaha.

[Sally Breitenberg]

Hahaha, the 'aunties' (shop ladies) are always super busy, and the shop is pretty noisy, so they're used to speaking loudly. Add to that the Cantonese pronunciation, and yeah, they can come across as quite fierce.

[Sally Breitenberg]

Exactly! I realized that later on too. It's just a different custom, no ill intent.

[Ms. Alberta Moen]

And that's it? Just 'goodbye'?