作 者：龔如仲（美國）
海外頭條總編審 王 在 軍 （中國）
海外頭條副編審 Wendy溫迪（英國）
海 外 頭 條總 編 火 鳳 凰 （海外）
圖片選自百度
出國小組趣事
文/龔如仲（美國）
隨著中國對外貿(mào)易的迅猛發(fā)展，派往世界各地進(jìn)行商貿(mào)活動(dòng)的貿(mào)易小組日益增多。而發(fā)生在眾多出國小組中間的故事自然也是層出不窮，有很多有趣的故事讓我至今難忘
。
（一）“當(dāng)湯”到底是啥意思？
有一天，與我同在輕工總公司共事的老朋友鄭處長突然問我：“‘當(dāng)湯’到底是啥意思”？我按英文詞意“城市的商業(yè)區(qū)”或“市中心”對他解釋了。可是聽完我的解釋后，他說依然“有點(diǎn)胡涂”。于是，他便對我敘述了前不久他在國外訪問時(shí)所遇到的難忘經(jīng)歷。
鄭處長帶了一個(gè)貿(mào)易小組先后訪問了英格蘭和美利堅(jiān)。
到達(dá)倫敦后，小組打算拜訪一位重要客戶。為了省點(diǎn)費(fèi)用，小組中一名會開車的成員就向他居住在倫敦的親戚借了輛車。于是，小組一行四人就在鄭處長帶領(lǐng)下開車前往客戶的公司。由于這家公司在離倫敦較遠(yuǎn)的另一個(gè)城市，而鄭處長等四人都是首次訪英，所以他們只得一邊開車、一邊問路。當(dāng)快到這個(gè)城市時(shí)，他們就詢問路旁加油站上的英國人。那位英國人對他們說：“這個(gè)公司在當(dāng)湯，不難找到”。懂點(diǎn)英文的鄭處長一聽，當(dāng)即就武斷地對開車的小伙子說：：“當(dāng)湯的意思就是沿著城市往下走。咱們肯定能找到這個(gè)地方”。
要知道英文字當(dāng)湯（DOWNTOWN）是由兩個(gè)詞語組成的，前一個(gè)“DOWN”是往下的意思，而后面的“TOWN”是城鎮(zhèn)之意，所以鄭處長認(rèn)為的“往城下走”也是因詞擇意，而“當(dāng)湯”的確切含義他并沒有弄懂。那時(shí)侯外貿(mào)工作者的英語水平普遍不高，即便小組里有人對鄭處長的理解心存懷疑，但考慮到鄭處長是總公司的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，他們也不便提出異議。
于是小伙子就一路把車開出了城。可是到了郊外，他們根本無法找到這家公司的所在地。后來又問了一位路人，鄭處長這才明白原來“當(dāng)湯就是﹁市中心”的意思。車子開回市中心后，小組這才最后找到了那家公司。
訪問完英國后，小組就來到了美國紐約。
這一回又得先見一家大客戶，可巧的是這家大公司也在“當(dāng)湯”。而更巧的是，另一位小組成員在紐約唐人街也找到了一位親戚。于是他們就請這位華僑先生當(dāng)司機(jī)，開車把他們送到紐約的市中心。可是到了市中心后怎么也找不到這家位于“當(dāng)湯”的公司。司機(jī)見狀忙問鄭處長有無客戶的名片？鄭處長馬上找出名片遞了過去。司機(jī)一看名片馬上就明白了，說：“這個(gè)公司在紐約下城的布魯克林”。鄭處長一聽又胡涂了：“難道當(dāng)湯到了美國又變了”？司機(jī)解釋道：“紐約的市中心是曼哈頓，也叫‘米德湯’{MIDTOWN}，中城的意思。而紐約的‘當(dāng)湯’（DOWNTOWN）是下城，就是布魯克林”。這一回，無論司機(jī)如何解釋，鄭處長感到他依然如墮云霧之中。所以他回到北京后才問我“當(dāng)湯”到底是啥意思。
（二）鮮花哪有燒雞好？
上海畜產(chǎn)品進(jìn)出口公司的小裘有一回在我面前嘟囔，說“美國人不懂中國人的心，花了錢也不討人歡喜”。我一聽大為詫異，忙問這到底是怎么一回事？小裘告訴我說，前一陣子他隨科長老王到美國訪問位于新澤西州的西港公司，公司大老板富勞倫先生親自到機(jī)場迎接。為了表示真誠和友誼，他還專門給貿(mào)易小組每位成員都獻(xiàn)上了一大束鮮花?？尚◆煤退幕锇閭兪盏锦r花后心里并不是很高興，因?yàn)樵谒麄兛磥恚鸵皇r花還不如給每人來個(gè)燒雞。為什么呢？其實(shí)道理很簡單：當(dāng)時(shí)貿(mào)易小組出國訪問實(shí)行的是承包制，國家按規(guī)定給予的出國費(fèi)用由小組自行支配，不再專款專用。倘若小裘等人那天每人都有一只香噴噴的燒雞，他們既可享用一頓美味的晚餐，還可把該用在晚飯上的銀子納入自己的腰包。由此可見，一只燒雞遠(yuǎn)比一束鮮花來得實(shí)惠。
聽完小裘的一番話，我不由得大笑不已，我趕緊對小裘說道：“放心，下回你們再訪美，由我們公司接待，到那時(shí)我保證每人一只大燒鵝”！
（三）黃金海岸上的“怪客”
有一回，我?guī)е齻€(gè)分公司的科長訪問澳大利亞，出訪的目的是開拓一項(xiàng)新業(yè)務(wù)。當(dāng)時(shí)我們主要訪問的城市是布里斯班，離澳大利亞休閑圣地黃金海岸不遠(yuǎn)。工作完畢后的第二天正好是星期六，所以我們就決定到黃金海岸一游。
眾所周知，黃金海岸是聞名世界的海灘美景。既然是去海灘游玩，我覺得大家就應(yīng)該“上套恤衫、下穿牛仔褲”，以一身休閑裝出行。然而來自廣東的周科長卻堅(jiān)決反對我的建議。他義正詞嚴(yán)地對大家說道：“我們是國家派出的貿(mào)易小組，是中國人的代表，在國外就必須時(shí)時(shí)注意儀表、事事嚴(yán)肅認(rèn)真”。最后他提議，去海灘時(shí)每人都要“西裝領(lǐng)帶、一絲不茍”。
鑒于我當(dāng)時(shí)剛當(dāng)副處長不久，資格尚淺，而老周是一位老革命出身的老科長，德高望重。我權(quán)衡再三，不想讓周科長難堪，于是就勉強(qiáng)接受了他的餿主意。
于是第二天上午，在那片碧海藍(lán)天、風(fēng)景如畫的著名海灘上出現(xiàn)了一番奇特的景象：四個(gè)西裝筆挺、皮鞋賊亮、手提公文箱的中國“怪客”，穿梭于滿是泳衣泳褲的紅男綠女中，引起的是陣陣嬉笑，迎來的是怪怪眼光。我一見情況不妙，連忙告訴大家“趕緊掉頭，快速逃跑”！就因?yàn)檫@樣，我那次失去了仔細(xì)觀賞黃金海岸迷人風(fēng)光的大好良機(jī)，真是可惜！
（四）您說英語嗎？
還有一回，我?guī)Я藗€(gè)小組訪問法國，小組成員里有個(gè)來自外貿(mào)部的小伙子，叫小齊。我們一行五人到達(dá)巴黎后，接待我們的法國老朋友杜亦杜先生告訴我們：“法國人不愛講英語，即使他們會說英語也輕易不說”。接著，他一邊給我們每人發(fā)了一張硬紙小卡片（卡片上有用法文寫的我們下榻酒店的地址和電話號碼），一邊叮囑我們道：“一旦迷了路，出租車司機(jī)一看卡片便可把你們安全地送回酒店”。
由于我們剛到法國，需要到銀行換點(diǎn)法郎現(xiàn)金（那時(shí)候歐盟尚未問世，法國的貨幣是法郎），于是我想請杜亦杜先生派個(gè)雇員陪我們到就近銀行辦理此事。正當(dāng)我打算這樣做時(shí)，部里來的小齊對我說道：“不用叫法國人幫忙，雖然我學(xué)的是英語，但我的第二外語是法文”。我一聽大喜，于是我們五個(gè)人步行到了鄰街的一家銀行。
進(jìn)入銀行后，小齊徑直走向一個(gè)營業(yè)窗口，然后用法文嘰里咕嚕地對著窗口的一位法國小姐說了一通，意思是“我們想用旅行支票兌換點(diǎn)法郎現(xiàn)金”。想不到那位漂亮的法國小姐竟然毫無反應(yīng)。小齊一見此況，不由得著急了，立即又嘰里咕嚕地對著小姐講了一通。然而小姐依然靜靜地看著小齊，一言不發(fā)。又過了一會，小姐突然對小齊說道：“DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH（您說英語嗎）？這一問，弄得小齊面紅而赤，同時(shí)也讓我們幾個(gè)人啼笑皆非。唉，好一個(gè)“會說法語”的小齊同志啊！
（五）“這兒的面包真的很好吃”！
我在美國康州斯坦福市工作時(shí)，常常接待來自中國造紙業(yè)的貿(mào)易小組，因?yàn)槟切┰旒垙S是通過我所主管的公司向美國采購紙漿和紙張的。有一回，來自江西造紙廠的廠長和他的兩個(gè)助手到了美國，我自然熱情相待。要知道江西造紙廠是個(gè)國營大企業(yè)，每年都通過我公司采購大量產(chǎn)品，這位大廠長當(dāng)然是我的重要衣食父母，對他們的接待自然是最高級別的。當(dāng)天晚上，我在斯坦福市最好的一家西餐廳宴請他們，點(diǎn)的當(dāng)然是紐約式牛排、波士頓龍蝦、阿拉斯加三文魚和新英格蘭海鮮湯。酒足飯飽之后，我出于禮節(jié)，客氣地問他們這頓飯吃得如何？還算滿意否？想不到這位江西造紙廠的大廠長對我說道：“這兒的面包真的很好吃”。
送走江西小組不久，我又迎來了來自湖北的一個(gè)“高級”貿(mào)易代表團(tuán)。說是“高級”，是因?yàn)槠邆€(gè)成員中最低級別的也是一位副處長。由于他們中午才到，行程又匆匆，我就決定在附近的一家漢堡王快餐店（BURGER KING）先讓他們湊合一餐。惟恐怠慢了貴客，我還特意為他們每個(gè)人都要了雙份牛肉的漢堡包。
這七位涵養(yǎng)極好的中國官員當(dāng)時(shí)也沒有提出任何問題，他們坐下來后便悶頭吃漢堡，低頭喝飲料。當(dāng)大家吃完飯準(zhǔn)備離開時(shí)，我無意中看了一下桌子，不由得大吃一驚，因?yàn)樽雷由隙逊胖鞘膫€(gè)牛肉餅。原來這七位仁兄只把炸薯?xiàng)l和面包皮吃了個(gè)精光，而那最美味的牛肉餅卻被扔在一旁。我不由得在心中感嘆，又一次領(lǐng)略到大多數(shù)中國人只愛中餐、不吃西餐的“民族情結(jié)”。
（此文選自拙作【歲月如重---兼談華國鋒】之第五章“從商之路”）
Chapter 20
Anecdotes of the Chinese Trading Groups Abroad
Posted by Ralph Gong
With the rapid development of the Chinese foreign trade, more and more Chinese trade groups or delegations were sent to the foreign countries for business negotiations and contracts. Therefore a lot of interesting stories about what those Chinese visitors did and how they behaved came into being. Some of the stories are not only interesting, but also unforgettable. cheerfully, I’d like to share with you the following stories:
What Does the English Word of ‘Downtown’ Mean?
One day, Mr. Zheng, the Finance Division Chief, who was working together with me at the company called “Chinalight”, came to my office and asked me a question of what was the real meaning of the English word of “downtown”? Since Mr. Zheng knew that my English was quite good and he took me as a good friend, he just wanted to come to me for a correct answer. I gave him a standard explanation by saying that downtown meant a place or an area in the city center or the CBD (City Business District). But Mr. Zheng did not seem to be satisfied. He said to me he was still very confused after listening to my explanation. Out of my curiosity, I asked him why, did anything happen to him. He then told me what he experienced in his recent trips to London and New York.
Mr. Zheng was the head of a trade group that was scheduled to visit the Great Britain and the United States of America. The trade group first reached London and was ready to visit one big customer there. In order to work with a fixed budget, Mr. Zheng asked one of his group members to borrow a car from his relative who was living in London.
The young man got the car. The 4-member trade group left their hotel for the place where that big client’s company was located. The client’s company was not in London, and it was situated in a small city very close to this metropolitan city. You must understand that it was the first time for those four people to visit London, and none of them was familiar with the city map and direction. The young driver had to stop from time to time and asked the pedestrians who were walking by on how to get to the destination.
After a couple of hours of driving, they reached the suburbs of that small city. In order to know the correct direction on how to get to the client’s place, the driver purposefully stopped at a gas station on the roadside, stepped out from the car and asked a gas-station attendant about the route. After reading the business card given to him by the young driver, the attendant said to him: “Oh, it is in the downtown of this city. You won’t miss it”.
Upon hearing the English word of “downtown”, Mr. Zheng, who had very little knowledge of English, opinionatedly assumed that downtown must mean “going down from the city center to the other side”. So he instructed the driver: “Go straight down through the city, and we will find the place!” The English word of downtown is composed of two words of “down” and “town”. The word of “down”meansdescending, or going from higher place to a lower place. And the word of “town” means a busy place with a lot of people and buildings. In English, the word of downtown means city center or town center unless otherwise is defined. But the misinterpretation towards the basic meanings of those two words led Mr. Zheng to the wrong decision. He insisted on letting the driver go further down after they got to the city center.
For your information, in China’s 1980s, the Chinese foreign trade people were not very good at English. Mr. Zheng and his trade group members did not grasp the exact meaning of the word of downtown. Even though one or two members got doubted about what Mr. Zheng had instructed, they did not dare to question what Mr. Zheng remarked only because in their eyes, Mr. Zheng was a high-ranking official from the Head Office. Following Mr. Zheng’sdecision, the driver just drove the car straightforward from the gas-station down to the other side of this small city (they passed the city center). After they got to the other side of the city, they could not find this company’s location. The driver had to stop the car and asked a pedestrian who was walking on the street. The pedestrian read the business card and told the driver that they had just passed this place because the company was right in the city center. Mr. Zhengand his trade group people had no other choice but followed the pedestrian’s direction-pointing, driving the car back to the city where they finally arrived at the company.
After visiting England, the trade group headed by Mr. Zheng went to New York, America for the next business trip. Again, they must go to see a big customer. They firstly checked this company’s address. After reading this company’s address which was shown on the business card, Mr. Zheng was quite sure that the company must also be situated in the downtown area of New York. The coincidence was that one of the trade group members had a relative abroad, and this relative was in New York. As per the experience they accumulated in their London trip, Mr. Zheng let this member borrow a car from his relative. By doing so, they could also save some travel expenses. The car borrowed, the young man who drove in London again became a temporary driver (he was the only one who had a driver’s license).
Before they left the hotel for the company, Mr. Zhengand his members checked the company’s address carefully for the purpose of getting there correctly. After reading the business card, both Mr. Zheng and the young driver were all quite sure that this company was in downtown. So they started to drive to downtown, the city center. But the strange thing was that no matter how hard they tried to find this company in the city center, they just failed. Finally, the driver was forced to park his car at a street corner and stopped a pedestrian for the direction. After reading the business card, the pedestrian, a middle-aged white man, told Mr. Zheng and the driver that this company was located in Brooklyn, downtown of New York City. Upon hearing what the pedestrian said, Mr. Zheng was very confused and said that since it was in downtown of New York, why they could not find it? The pedestrian smiled and explained to him that in New York, downtown area was referred to Brooklyn, and the place they were staying now was New York’s midtown, Manhattan. And Queens area of New York was called uptown.
With this pedestrian’s help, they drove to Brooklyn, downtown of New York and found the company. But Mr. Zheng was again feeling very confused. He could not understand why New York’s downtown was different from the downtown in London. I guess that probably Mr. Zheng is still feeling confused about the concept.
Roasted Ducks Are Much Better Than Fresh Flowers!
Mr. Qiu，a young salesman from Shanghai Animal By-Products Imp. & Exp. Corp., came to my office one day during his USA visit, telling me that he did not think Americans could understand what the Chinese liked in terms of gifts presenting. He went on to say that even though the Americans spent money on purchasing “good gifts” for the Chinese visitors, yet what they did was not pleasing at all. After hearing what Mr. Qiu said, I felt very surprised. And then I asked him why he should have said so.
Mr. Qiu told me that a few months ago, he accompanied his Section Chief, Mr. Wang, on a business trip to the USA. As soon as they arrived at Newark International Airport, New Jersey, USA, Mr. Richard Florin, President of the well-known leather accessories company of Westport Corp., which was situated in New Jersey, gave them a warm welcome at the airport. Mr. Florin presented each of them a bunch of flowers. According to the Westerners’ habit, to present guests with fresh and beautiful flowers is a sign of respect and friendship. Mr. Florin showed with that gesture his sincere welcome to the Chinese trade group members who came from Shanghai. But neither Mr. Wang nor Mr. Qiu felt excited or happy after accepting the flowers because in their eyes, flowers were not as good as roasted ducks.
The reason was obvious that in the time when Mr. Qiu and his Section Chief visited USA, the Chinese Trade Groups’ overseas visiting must follow a system of “Contract Responsibilities”, which was stipulated by the Chinese government department concerned. That was to say that in addition to the round-trip international air tickets, each trade group was allowed to spend the regulated and limited amount of money on the travel expenses of hotel lodging, food expenditure, local traffic needs (such as taxi, bus, boat and train and so on and so forth) and pocket money. It would be up to the trade group members to decide on how to use the money. For example, if the trade group members wanted to save money on food, they could go and buy fast and simple food for their three meals. In this case, McDonalds’, KFC or Burger King would be their best choice. If they did not like the junk food and insisted on the Chinese taste, they could go to a Chinese restaurant for the simple meal of noodles. By so doing, they could save some food money for their own. And the saved money could be used for buying small gifts to bring back to China for their relatives or friends. If Mr. Florin did not buy a bunch of flowers for Mr. Qiu as a decent gift, but rather “smartly” changed his mind to buy a piece of roasted duck, that would be beneficial to Mr. Qiu. Firstly, Mr. Qiu could enjoy a really delicious food for dinner; Secondly, he could put the saved supper money into his own pocket. As far as Mr. Qiu was concerned, he felt that flowers were not as valuable or important as roasted ducks.
After I listened to what Mr. Qiu explained, I could not help laughing. I said to Mr. Qiu earnestly: “Yes, my company will prepare a piece of big and delicious roasted duck for each of you when you guys visit USAagain next time”!
‘Strange Visitors’ at Australia’s Gold Coast
One time, I took a big trade group, the members of which came from three different provincial branch companies, to visit Australia. The purpose of our visiting was to develop one important new business collaboration with an influential Australian company. And this company was located in the city of Brisbane, the third largest city in Australia
After the business negotiations were over and a desirable agreement was reached, we all wanted to get relaxed for a while and enjoy a good time in Brisbane. It was known to all that Australia’s Gold Coast in Brisbane area was a very famous beach resort, as well as an ocean-view scenic spot. Therefore we decided to go to Gold Coast the following day, Saturday.
It was common knowledge that to go to a beach resort was a casual and non-formal activity. Since it was summer time and I suggested to all the trade group members at the meeting that we, the visitors, should wear T-shirts, pairs of shorts and casual shoes for such a visit. But Mr. Zhou, one of the group members, as well as a Section Chief of Guangdong Light Industrial Products Imp. & Exp. Corp., unexpectedly stood up and said that he was against what I proposed. Influenced by the “ultra-leftists’ thinking” at that time, Mr. Zhou remarked in an authoritative way: “Since we are representing the Chinese government-related companies for such an official Australian visit, we must protect the Chinese people’s dignity and image. Our formal appearance must be placed on the first place!” He strongly suggested to me: “All of us must be in coats and ties tomorrow when we have the beach tour”.
To be honest with you, at that time, I had been just promoted from an ordinary staff member to the Division’s Deputy Chief. My qualifications and experiences were still insufficient in comparison with Mr. Zhou’s, who was not only a “veteran revolutionary” who was much older than me, but also a senior Section Chief who was with a lofty virtue worthy of respect. I understood that this “veteran revolutionary” would be embarrassed if I should reject what he had suggested. In the mean time, I said to myself: “To go to Gold Coast for a casual trip is no big deal, and it is not necessary to be so serious towards this matter”. And therefore I was forced to decide to follow Mr. Zhou’s “big idea”.
The following day was a sunny and warm Saturday. The sky was blue and the ocean was gigantic. On the famous picturesque beach of Gold Coast, a peculiar and striking scene was appearing: Six Chinese gentlemen, who were wearing formal suits, expensive ties and shining leather shoes and carrying brief cases, were strolling on the beach. Around six of us were a lot of men and women who were just in casual dressing or even in swimming suits. We, the six Chinese visitors, looked very strange and “special” when we were among the crowded people. And as a matter of fact, our arrival had aroused pears of laughter from other tourists, and they even looked at us in a weird way.
Facing such an awkward situation, I felt both ashamed and shocked. Without any hesitation, I immediately ordered my people: “Turn back and leave off the beach. Go back to our hotel!”
Thus, I lost a good opportunity of enjoying the enchanting scenery of Australia’s Gold Coast. What a pity!
“Do You Speak English”?
One other time, I took a 5-member trade group to visit France. One of the members came from the Ministry of Foreign Trade, and his last name was Qi. Since he was young and small, we all called him “Xiao Qi”(meaning “Little Qi”). The main aim of our French trip was to sign an Exclusive Sales Agreement with a big French company. And the company’s owner was Mr. Dubois, a kind and friendly old gentleman, as well as our long time business counter-part in Paris, France.
The next day morning, we went to Mr. Dubois’ office for a visit. After we finished our business talking and were about to leave the company, Mr. Dubois sincerely and seriously said to us: “In general, the French people do not like to speak English. Some people, who do know how to speak English, would pretend not to understand English. In their minds, French is the best language in the world.” In order to protect us, Mr. Dubois prepared 5 pieces of paper cards. And on each card, our hotel name and address were printed. He respectively gave one piece of paper card to each of us, and then said: “Whenever you lose your way on your Paris tour, you just stop a taxi and then show this card to the driver. And the driver will send you to your hotel safely. No need for you to speak English to the driver”.
In view of the fact that we had just arrived in France, we would need some cash for our daily use. So I decided to let the person who was in charge of money spending take out a couple of traveler’s checks and then use them to exchange for the French franc at a local bank. Since none of the group members could speak French, I wanted to ask Mr. Dubois to send one staff member to escort us to the bank. It was just at the point of my doing so, Xiao Qi, who came from the Ministry, confidently said to me: “No need to ask Mr. Dubois for help. Even though I learned English at the university, yet French was my second foreign language. I can handle this matter should French speaking be needed”. I was very happy to hear what Xiao Qi said.
Five of us said good-bye to Mr. Dubois. Then we walked to a local bank which was not far away from Mr. Dubois’ company. After we stepped into the bank, Xiao Qi and the member who was in charge of money spending walked directly to one of the bank’s business windows while three of us remained sitting in the waiting room. I saw Xiao Qi was talking to a pretty French girl, the bank clerk, at the window. I could hear Xiao Qi speaking loudly in “French”, but I did not understand what he was saying about because French was not my second foreign language. But the funny thing was that the beautiful girl was just staring at Xiao Qi while listening to what he was talking. I guessed from her facial expressions that she did not understand him. She just kept silent. Xiao Qiwas a little bit worried and nervous since he could not get any direct response from the bank clerk, so he tried to use his “French” again to repeat what he had just said (I guessed that he must say: “we would like to use our traveler’s checks for exchanging some cash of French franc”). This time, the girl kept silence for a while and then suddenly used English to ask Xiao Qi: “Do you speak English?”
At that very moment, I saw Xiao Qi’s face turning red in shame. Xiao Qi’s “excellent and standard” French speaking put all of us at a very embarrassing situation. We did not know if we should laugh or cry! Meanwhile, all four of us said to ourselves: “Oh Qi, what a good French speaker you are!”
The Bread Here is Really Delicious!
When I worked in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, I frequently hosted the Chinese delegations or trade groups who came to USA for paper and paper pulp purchasing. One time, the director of the largest paper-making factory in Jiangxi Province and his two assistants came to my company for signing a big contract. You must understand that Jiangxi Paper Mill was a state-owned enterprise and it was really a big factory in Nanchang, capital city of Jiangxi Province. Every year, they bought a large quantity of American paper pulp from our company, and then they used the pulp for the paper-making. It was known to us that important customers were our “God” whom our livelihood depended. It was natural for me and my colleagues to give the 3-member trade group a warm welcome.
After the first day of business meeting was over, it was dinner time. In order to show my hospitality towards the three VIPs, I decided to invite them to a dinner at a Western-styled restaurant that was regarded as the best one in the city of Stamford. The three trade group members and I stepped into the restaurant and were seated at the table. We had appetizers first. Then I ordered the decent, tasteful and expensive main courses for our distinguished guests. Those dishes were New York steak, Bostonlobster and Alaska salmon plus New England clam chowder soups. I expected that my choice for them would be highly praised. After the dinner was over, I politely asked the factory director, who was a very famous and influential figure in the Chinese paper industry, as well as a frequent international traveler, if he and his followers were satisfied with the food I ordered for them. I was greatly surprised to hear what the factory director replied: “Oh, yes, the bread here is really delicious!” I almost fainted when I heard his comment.
After saying good-bye to the Jiangxi guests, I met with a high-ranking trade delegation, and this delegation’s members all came from China’s HubeiProvince. The reason why I said it was a high-ranking delegation was that the seven delegation members all possessed high-ranking positions. They were either the Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Hubei Provincial Economic & Foreign Trade Affairs Committee, or the Departments Chiefs from the different government-owned organizations of HubeiProvince. In a word, all the seven members were high-ranking officials.
The delegation’s visiting schedule was very tight. They just came to my office that afternoon and would only give me a few hours for business discussions. They would then leave for another city before dinner time. Facing such a special situation, I knew that it would be impossible to invite them to have a formal dinner either at a Chinese restaurant or an Italian one. The only possibility for entertaining them was to let them have a fast food before they leave. So I took them to a McDonald’s that was close to my office. In order to make them feel better since they were VIPs from Hubei Province, I especially ordered the “Double Big Mac” for each of them. That meant that there were two pieces of ground beef pies inside each hamburger, and our guests could enjoy more meat. Before I placed orders, I did ask the delegation members for their advice and see if they would like the hamburger or not, none of them said “No” to me. When the food was served, those VIPs just silently ate the burgers and buried their heads to drink Coca-Cola. It seemed to me that everything was ok! It was just after the meal was over, and I occasionally gave a casual glance at the table where those VIPs sat around, I was startled immediately in amazement. I saw with my own eyes that there were fourteen (14) pieces of complete ground beef pies on it. The reason was simple: none of those seven (7) Chinese officials liked the ground beef, but they did love the bread. So they ate up all the bread and left beef over on the trays.
Again, I experienced the Chinese people’s “national complex” of loving the Chinese food and suffering from the Western taste!
(END)
About the Author:
Ruzhong Gong (Ralph Gong), born in Shanghai, China, now living in the USA.
Graduated From the English Department of Universityof International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
Before retirement, President of an USA overseas company under China National Light Industrial Products Imp. & Exp. Corp.; President of a joint-venture company in USA, jointly owned by Australia’s Lief Group Company and China National Chemical Products Imp. & Exp. Corp.; President of an American Brach Corp. under China National Foreign Trade Bases Corp.; Chief Representative in Beijing Office under Trade Am, an American Carpets Wholesale Company.
Author of 6 books, including “My Life—Family, Career & VIPs”, “How to Do Business in Mainland of China”, “My Leisure Time”, “My Leisure Time—Poems & Articles” , “Poems and Essays from Leisure Chamber” and “Flowers By My Side”.
Member of the Chinese Poetry Society (CPS), Free Lance Writer for Austrian Sinopress, and Senior Consultant for Taiwan Caiwei Publishing House.
龔如仲：生于上海，中國對外經(jīng)濟(jì)貿(mào)易大學(xué)英語系畢業(yè)，畢業(yè)后奔赴非洲任鐵道部援建坦贊鐵路工作組總部英語翻譯，中國國際廣播電臺英語部英語播音員、記者，外貿(mào)部中國輕工業(yè)品進(jìn)出口總公司出口二處業(yè)務(wù)員、副處長，外貿(mào)部輕工業(yè)品進(jìn)出口總公司駐美國公司總裁（處長）。
有關(guān)作品：
自2012年至2016年，臺灣采薇出版社出版自傳【歲月如重】（該書已被香港中文大學(xué)圖書館、美國紐約市立圖書館和澳大利亞國家圖書館作為自傳體作品正式收藏），【東西南北中國人---細(xì)談如何在大陸做生意】，【悠然時(shí)光】和【悠然時(shí)光---如仲詩語】。
2018年4月，中國國際廣播出版社出版【悠然齋詩文選】
2018年9月，中國國際廣播出版社出版【花兒在身邊開放】
2019年4月，臺灣采薇出版社出版英文書【My Life—Family, Career & VIPs】
作者現(xiàn)為中華詩詞學(xué)會會員、中國經(jīng)典文學(xué)網(wǎng)特約作家、臺灣采薇出版社資深顧問、奧地利英文網(wǎng)Sinopress特聘專欄作家、北美北斗星文學(xué)社副社長、副總編輯。
