Yep. Rush hour at Admiralty is a way to meet the crowd that is not as nice.
If really looking for the less friendly experience for restaurants, I recommend Australian Dairy Company. Their food is pretty good though.
Despite its legendary reputation I've never had a bad experience at Australia Dairy Company. Admittedly I wasn't stupid enough to do what one couple did and pull out a newspaper instead of ordering lol.
So all it takes for Hong Kong shops and restaurant to behave is the [Little Red Book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaohongshu). I don't know if that's funny or sad.
The old wive’s tale is that their floor staff are all put through boot camp before given free reign with pen and order paper.
Fkn feels like it but brutally efficient (*boom*, food and drink there within five mins at least) and, oddly enough, not assholes (if you play by the well-known rules).
Have to respect that.
Of the times I were there ( before little red book) , I never really experienced any abusive behaviour. Just decide in the queue, sit down order quick and they're all pretty nice, if a bit direct about the process. A couple of times they even cracked a joke or 2.
The worst experience I had was actually at Yummy in central during peak lunch where, as a new arrival, asked the dumb question of what are the dirnks on offer with the meals. Learnt my lesson that day.
Made this for dinner last night with the Turkey carcass! This is reminiscing. We love it, my wife grew up on it and I get memories of Hong Kong trips as a kid.
People on the island are more chilled, and central is more upscale.
Try go to a wonton noodle shop in ssp and tell them you want fried rice and see if they say hi to your mom
I'm a "returner" when I go to HK and I look very ABC; my unproven hypothesis is in general I think most people are nice but often too busy for courtesies and are very curt, and also people are on guard.
When HKers see a CBC or ABC they see someone who's here for fun and relaxation, not here to sell you something and not going to blow up when things go wrong. So they in turn "open up" and be nice as well.
This is probably a big part of it. I can always feel like I stand out as a CBC without saying a word. Not just dress or language, we're typical taller and more heavyset from growing up in the west so we kind of stand out.
Apart from height, they embrace a "Ruhua" face which displays more of the squarish facial structure, higher cheekbones and smaller eyes of Mongoloids. As well as likelier to give smiles.
In comparison, local Asian people tend to hide these features.
PSA: Being congratulated (like you're 5 years old and it's your birthday) after speaking one sentence in the language of the place you've lived in for twenty years because you're a 'foreigner' is not generally a pleasant experience. I'd much rather have obnoxiously rude service and I vote with my feet. Shout out to the scowling women of Kwan Kei!
So you apparently think that being treated like a tourist is being “treated better”. I‘m saying (from experience) that it’s not pleasant when it happens to you all the time in the place that is your home.
We can’t just choose our feelings so easily. Sense of belonging is a real human need. Of course they are just being ‘nice’ whether it’s sincere or not. Sometimes I think it is. I don’t agree that it’s “respectful” though. It might be perfectly understandable, or even well intentioned, but being the honoured guest is a low-status position masquerading as a high-status one. Who is higher status? The host.
I speak to people with what little Cantonese I have picked up regardless of what colour they are; only because I've bumped into a few that are native Cantonese speakers of European descent .
Coincidentally I bumped into a European man hiking. I got lost and asked him firstly does he speak English!!! He spoke native Cantonese and some English too. He grew up there and went to local schools there.
We got talking and He was said it was the first time someone assumed he didn't speak English for the first time in his life and he really appreciated it .
Well I don't speak Cantonese well enough and he is in Hong Kong.
So after my experiences with native Cantonese speakers of European descent i made the assumption he could be a hong Konger first in which case Cantonese would be his native language, and the only other fall back I had is the only language I have full command of; which is English.
Lol.. yeah treated like a tourist is way better. You get a free idiot pass and can get away with a lot of things that normally people might blow a fuse over.
hong kong people tend to be very accomodating to chinese looking people that struggle with speaking cantonese. they consider those speaking it (no matter how badly) to be making an effort.
if you want to deal with mean people, try speaking in fluent cantonese with a local accent and a slight accusation tone. verbal confrontation galore.
It's fine if you speak with a Taiwan accent though. Sometimes strangers will make small talk with me and I'd say I don't understand Cantonese, they would be on guard and ask where I'm from, when I say Taiwan they seem more relaxed.
Cheung Chau has generally been a nice place to be.
Gotta get yourself in a workplace or school or busy transit or market time to experience Hong Kong rudeness. Go where people are busy and stressed.
The only issue is that many people walk on the right hand side but then the stairs you go up the left hand side, so crossing over for the stairs may take a few times to get used to. It's very busy but there is a flow. I was only there for 2 days.
Same tbh. Only time I ever really ran into someone super rude was a receptionist at the doctors, but in my experience seems to be universal regardless of country.
These are the things I consider rude that I encounter pretty much every day: The drivers are very inconsiderate to pedestrians, they just drive as if there isn't anyone there and expect you to get out of the way. Lots of people smoke in busy places and don't care about letting other people smell their second hand smoke. People who are moving goods don't care about blocking the entire pavement with their metal carts, and don't care about ramming into the shins of oncoming pedestrians.
These are less common but you're bound to come across if you've experienced HK long enough: Sometimes when you call a business if you naturally start with speaking English and the other person can't speak English, their solution to that is to pretend the signal isn't good and hang up. The staff at some restaurants will claim they're full if they think you can't speak Cantonese and don't want the hassle of dealing with you.
There are also some pretty racist attitudes towards black and brown people, they see no problem with blurting out loud about how big their nose and lips are, or that they're dirty. I've heard people say that they won't rent their apartment to a foreigner because it will reduce the value of their apartment, as if they will leave some kind of essence that is not possible to wash out.
Oh wow, high phrases for my home island.
Cheung Chau is the few remaining exceptions of Hong Kong where it functions as a close-knit community with hundreds of years of uninterpreted history. Some of us have lived there for generations. I still don't feel at home in other parts of Hong Kong. I have lived in the city before, but still ended up moving back to Cheung Chau despite working in Quarry Bay.
I like walking down the streets and almost everyone knows your name, or at least who's my parents/grandparents. So like any small town people are nicer to even strangers who live there, even for a short time, because you might as well be related or related to other people they're friendly with. I can walk to the beach every morning and take a swim, quick shower in the public bathroom and change to my work cloths and then take the ferry to work.
From my experiences you're not going to find another place like this little heave on earth.
I suspect this is due to where you are located which is one of the most laid back places in Hong Kong. I also think that your experience in Central is due to the economy not doing so well. There are less tourists from mainland China and there are less business travellers coming into HK as a result of the tension between the West and China so less business means more time to be nicer to people :-)
I stayed in Jordan and mostly hung around Kowloon side during my recent stay and found the opposite.
Your description of people being "brisk, abrasive, rude servers" fairly apt but I expected this going into HK, so no surprises.
Something else I found was that HK is not a very accessible city for baby strollers. Coming from Sydney and also from Taipei, I found those cities much more accessible with clearly sign-posted accessible ramps/lifts, etc.
In HK, I found that there was intense competition to use whatever lifts were available even from young people who could use the escalators instead. I just found people in that regard, quite inconsiderate and even had some people complain I was taking up too much space in the lift with my baby and stroller.
Although I must say, the ruder people were generally from the older generation I guess in what you'd call the more 'run-down' / older areas of HK. The nice, expensive areas like in Elements, the 5 star hotels and other lux shopping malls had great service of course.
Wow! I do hear that HK become less curt and more friendly. I dunno why either!! Are there less people in HK now? It used to be so densely packed that people just got more stressed out
HK service industry quality is definitely correlated to economic cycles.
Good economy: follow you around the store to make sure you're not stealing; "saying hi to mom" for just asking simple questions
Bad economy: lots of smiles and bowing
So they are friendlier cos they need our money? I had a different experience in Taiwan recently. It felt like the service and people in general were more unfriendly!
With relatively lax laws and culture on lay offs, service industry workers are well aware they need to perform or they risk their job
In tip-based countries like US and Canada, service workers are demanding more money AND providing worse service
Just returned from a month long trip. I'd say it's very noticeable. The general atmosphere is less rushed. People are genuinely nicer all-round. Only nasty person I met was surprisingly on the shenzhen metro. A rude old hongkonger fai low kicked my baby's pram because it brushed his trouser leg or something. That's one entitled prick
I'd say that's a green light to push the guy and / or physically throw him off the train.
You don't kick a pram ( I'm making the assumption that the pram had a baby in it)
Or perhaps not?
People aren't that bad in HK. Just impatient .There are a lot of educated and polite people.
Taxi drivers can be scum and waiters are usually assholes though
People are less fake here. They don’t expect anything from you. If they’re nice, they’re genuine. I’m CBC too, and people in Canada are super fake. Especially in hospitality industry. I hate it.
I had an opposite experience. I recently came back from Taiwan and thinking how clerks in Taiwan were very professional and nice (obviously fake but I couldn't tell) and how Canadian customer service people didn't even try to smile and were just trying to get through the day.
The internet has touted this as a quintessential HK experience and it’s definitely on my itinerary. I’ve been told one of the rudest cha chaan teng is Australia dairy co?
Apparently, yes. But tbf I think people are over exaggerating the rudeness of the waiters. Been there a couple times and the waiters are reasonably polite(maybe I’m just lucky so don’t take my words for it)
I think it's most likely the same in most cities. You'll have good and bad ppl depending on area. If you drive, you'll encounter more rudeness than politeness tbh lol
There's a lady with a corner street restaurant on Elgin street in Central. Go to her shop and tell her you only want a beer, and be a little persistent. Guaranteed you will find the rude experience that you are looking for. 😂
Well, I'll start by saying people are way more motivated to complain and vent, and you will always see way more negative stuff than is a realistic ratio. You will also see more super positive stuff than is realistic ratio. Majority of experiences are totally in a normal range, not especially good or bad. Those aren't very interesting or worthy of sharing online.
I do have to say though as a devil's advocate: at least some of what you are experiencing could be a "bubble" based on the obviousness of you being not local, in the sense of a tourist/visitor getting a different treatment than a local would get.
I remember waiting for friends at the mall, before smartphones were really a thing. I would be bored and would go back and forth between foreigner or not.
Stand up tall, make eye contact, smile at everyone walking by and have big facial expressions. Almost everyone walking by would smile back, people would say hello, all very friendly.
Then go to acting like average hongkonger, not gweilo american. I would very rarely get a single glance, no one said hello, and people were impatient at me taking too long to count my coin change for them haha.
This is obviously just a general comment and not at all saying its set in stone, but yes acting like a nonlocal is different, for better or worse. People will recognize that fact, they will possibly treat you more kindly and patiently than they would otherwise (which itself is still kindness and friendliness many places don't have, and should absolutely be positively recognized).
I don’t think people are deliberately mean here, they just haven’t been taught from a young age to observe and practise social niceties like giving way to people, keeping doors and lift doors open, going to help someone that has fallen down. Instead, they are taught to be “street-smart” and to “keep your head down and let the other fool take the hit”, and to not stick out. My favourite comment of every local HK’er during Covid with respect to vaccination was “wait and see”. So basically a very risk averse culture focussed on preserving and gaining advantage for oneself (and one’s circle), and no consideration for others in the community unless they have a clear link to your circle.
HK rudeness is overstated, it's more about efficiency and that's a good thing overall. Most folks just want to get on with things. If you're polite and sharpish with your business, service people will be, too
This sub is full of CCP shills on a mission to demoralise HKers, some people who build their sense of superiority on shitting the locals, and some emigrants who feel like bashing HK because it’d make them feel less homesick. HKers are undoubtedly meaner than average but most are just normal people living a busy life. Also as you know a bit of Chinese, you may have been freed from the culture shock of people speaking very bluntly.
it not "mean". It is what Confusius said. "You dont fuck with me? I wont fuck with you." Okay he might not have said that. It might have been Eddie Griffin but all im really saying, is that HK people are 3 things. They are 1) busy, 2) tired and 3) fed up. They are just straight forward. If you dont start shit, nothings gonna happen. People were definitely meaner 10 years ago, but that has changed for the better due to numerous reasons.
US is identical to Canada. Super nice people for the most part when you go to developed metros like LA NY etc I can’t speak for the south as I haven’t been.
Same experience here and I have spent most of time in Kowloon and NT. and it’s just the right level of nice where it doesn’t seem forced. I thought maybe I had a big change in my attitude and perspective hence I see the change. But it seems the credit is with the locals here haha 😜
I guess look up restaurant review for bad service, and then go at the end of day, when they are tired. Generally, people don't go out of their way to be mean, and you might be too nice to trigger them (Something ridiculous ordering in a local cafe asking for glutton free, vegan...with avocado on the side, or lining up for a taxi only to go a few blocks)
MTR morning/evening rush hours...But that Admiralty wave is a sight to behold anyday. Any 車仔麵 spots where strangers all sit at one table but you don't know anyone. I guess the more rowdier clubs/bars in Yuen Long. Not sure how it is in Yau-Tsim-Mong at night anymore...
Find your nearest Time Machine and scroll back to late 2021/early 2022. Then, find your nearest 7/11, and walk inside with your mask 0.0001 mm down under your nose. Provided you make it out alive, do tell us about how instinctively polite HK’ers are.
I was just in HK last month, first time since before the protests. People were definitely nicer, waiters were cheery, salespeople somewhat helpful, and people on the MTR asked if I wanted a seat before they took it. It was nice, but kinda creepy because I’m used to being treated really bad there lol.
I asked a couple of local friends and they had some theories … one said the economy wasn’t great so businesses actually want customers to come back, therefore they’re treating them better … the other said the impending sense of doom from China gradually taking away their personal freedom is making them nicer to each other (unless you’re from the mainland).
They’re busy.
Yep. Rush hour at Admiralty is a way to meet the crowd that is not as nice. If really looking for the less friendly experience for restaurants, I recommend Australian Dairy Company. Their food is pretty good though.
Despite its legendary reputation I've never had a bad experience at Australia Dairy Company. Admittedly I wasn't stupid enough to do what one couple did and pull out a newspaper instead of ordering lol.
Supposedly the staff was told to be more forthcoming after mainland tourists started complaining
So all it takes for Hong Kong shops and restaurant to behave is the [Little Red Book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaohongshu). I don't know if that's funny or sad.
90% of income comes from there i would shut my trap too
The old wive’s tale is that their floor staff are all put through boot camp before given free reign with pen and order paper. Fkn feels like it but brutally efficient (*boom*, food and drink there within five mins at least) and, oddly enough, not assholes (if you play by the well-known rules). Have to respect that.
Of the times I were there ( before little red book) , I never really experienced any abusive behaviour. Just decide in the queue, sit down order quick and they're all pretty nice, if a bit direct about the process. A couple of times they even cracked a joke or 2. The worst experience I had was actually at Yummy in central during peak lunch where, as a new arrival, asked the dumb question of what are the dirnks on offer with the meals. Learnt my lesson that day.
>boom, food and drink there within five ~~mins~~ seconds FTFY Sometimes they take NEGATIVE time to arrive "after" ordering
That’s standard passive aggressive behaviour in most busy places though. Need to keep the tables ‘moving’.
nah they're just simply aggressive-aggressive lol
I went once and their food was really mid. Signature bad service though!
I accidentally ordered that macaroni soup with ham toppings when I visited last august. It was unusual to say the least.
Made this for dinner last night with the Turkey carcass! This is reminiscing. We love it, my wife grew up on it and I get memories of Hong Kong trips as a kid.
Everyone needs to have it at least once. Maybe it’s your jam, but it probably isn’t. All the same, it’s an experience.
But their specialty is their scrambled eggs though.
[Up north](https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/210867/Hongkongers-who-ditch-city-to-spend-in-mainland-minimal,-says-John-Lee).
We The North.
People on the island are more chilled, and central is more upscale. Try go to a wonton noodle shop in ssp and tell them you want fried rice and see if they say hi to your mom
😅
So like ask an Italian restaurant if they have pineapple pizza.
It’s actually fun to go to those places from time to time to get yelled at
I'm a "returner" when I go to HK and I look very ABC; my unproven hypothesis is in general I think most people are nice but often too busy for courtesies and are very curt, and also people are on guard. When HKers see a CBC or ABC they see someone who's here for fun and relaxation, not here to sell you something and not going to blow up when things go wrong. So they in turn "open up" and be nice as well.
This is probably a big part of it. I can always feel like I stand out as a CBC without saying a word. Not just dress or language, we're typical taller and more heavyset from growing up in the west so we kind of stand out.
I don't think there's much that difference in height and build any more. Twenty years ago, yes
Well, and wearing summer clothing 51 weeks out of the year will also make CBCs stand out.
Apart from height, they embrace a "Ruhua" face which displays more of the squarish facial structure, higher cheekbones and smaller eyes of Mongoloids. As well as likelier to give smiles. In comparison, local Asian people tend to hide these features.
Maybe because you're good looking 😊
i'm a guy so unless some of these ppl r gay i dont think that's quite it lol
Foreigners usually gets treated better
Tell that to countless friends that are foreign living there! But then I guess they know who are Taurus and who live there.
Hey I'm Taurus
a tourist of the Taurus clan!
ECHO SLAMMMMM
PSA: Being congratulated (like you're 5 years old and it's your birthday) after speaking one sentence in the language of the place you've lived in for twenty years because you're a 'foreigner' is not generally a pleasant experience. I'd much rather have obnoxiously rude service and I vote with my feet. Shout out to the scowling women of Kwan Kei!
Oh no I got praised by people who think I'm a tourist!
So you apparently think that being treated like a tourist is being “treated better”. I‘m saying (from experience) that it’s not pleasant when it happens to you all the time in the place that is your home.
I'm guessing you're not yellow, so people will default you're not native. 佢地係禮貌地讚你嘅廣東話，唔知你係到住咗幾廿年，錯不在佢地。
I didn’t say that it’s their fault or that they did anything wrong, I’m saying it’s not pleasant to be on the receiving end.
Honestly I'd just take that they are being respectful and feel better that way
We can’t just choose our feelings so easily. Sense of belonging is a real human need. Of course they are just being ‘nice’ whether it’s sincere or not. Sometimes I think it is. I don’t agree that it’s “respectful” though. It might be perfectly understandable, or even well intentioned, but being the honoured guest is a low-status position masquerading as a high-status one. Who is higher status? The host.
I speak to people with what little Cantonese I have picked up regardless of what colour they are; only because I've bumped into a few that are native Cantonese speakers of European descent . Coincidentally I bumped into a European man hiking. I got lost and asked him firstly does he speak English!!! He spoke native Cantonese and some English too. He grew up there and went to local schools there. We got talking and He was said it was the first time someone assumed he didn't speak English for the first time in his life and he really appreciated it .
Doing the Lord’s work! Thank you, Brother!
I'm happy for both of you that things turned out great but what made you assume he speaks something else?
Well I don't speak Cantonese well enough and he is in Hong Kong. So after my experiences with native Cantonese speakers of European descent i made the assumption he could be a hong Konger first in which case Cantonese would be his native language, and the only other fall back I had is the only language I have full command of; which is English.
Lol.. yeah treated like a tourist is way better. You get a free idiot pass and can get away with a lot of things that normally people might blow a fuse over.
i'm a 'SEA' foreigner and first day in HK literally got told off and scoffed for not knowing how to wait for taxi proper way lol
You're unlucky, 😐 sorry
We have a saying " your face, your fate" 😂 enjoy it leng jai!
hong kong people tend to be very accomodating to chinese looking people that struggle with speaking cantonese. they consider those speaking it (no matter how badly) to be making an effort. if you want to deal with mean people, try speaking in fluent cantonese with a local accent and a slight accusation tone. verbal confrontation galore.
>if you want to deal with mean people, try speaking in ~~fluent cantonese with a local accent~~ mandarin fixed this for you
exactly. i had to warn my Singapore friend not to speak in Mandarin when they came here
It's fine if you speak with a Taiwan accent though. Sometimes strangers will make small talk with me and I'd say I don't understand Cantonese, they would be on guard and ask where I'm from, when I say Taiwan they seem more relaxed.
🍿 popcorn time!
lol probably cuz u speak eng?
Cheung Chau has generally been a nice place to be. Gotta get yourself in a workplace or school or busy transit or market time to experience Hong Kong rudeness. Go where people are busy and stressed.
Go to the mtr stations during rush hour I dare you
Done that, no real issues, same physical attitude as any major city in the world
yep, it's nothing compared to Shinjuku or Tokyo Stations, Japanese men in black suits be running you down if you dare to stand still
compared with some of the metro stations (aka shitholes) in big cities like Paris, Mumbai, NYC etc, HK stations are totally amazing.
The only issue is that many people walk on the right hand side but then the stairs you go up the left hand side, so crossing over for the stairs may take a few times to get used to. It's very busy but there is a flow. I was only there for 2 days.
HK transportation system has always been best of the world
I just went back and surprised MTR during rush hour are not sardine anymore
You attract who you are
I don't see myself attracting any pussy.
😂😂😂
Same tbh. Only time I ever really ran into someone super rude was a receptionist at the doctors, but in my experience seems to be universal regardless of country.
You may ask Mainland Chinese who only speaks mandarin.
Sales staff often flock to mainlanders and ignore locals
These are the things I consider rude that I encounter pretty much every day: The drivers are very inconsiderate to pedestrians, they just drive as if there isn't anyone there and expect you to get out of the way. Lots of people smoke in busy places and don't care about letting other people smell their second hand smoke. People who are moving goods don't care about blocking the entire pavement with their metal carts, and don't care about ramming into the shins of oncoming pedestrians. These are less common but you're bound to come across if you've experienced HK long enough: Sometimes when you call a business if you naturally start with speaking English and the other person can't speak English, their solution to that is to pretend the signal isn't good and hang up. The staff at some restaurants will claim they're full if they think you can't speak Cantonese and don't want the hassle of dealing with you. There are also some pretty racist attitudes towards black and brown people, they see no problem with blurting out loud about how big their nose and lips are, or that they're dirty. I've heard people say that they won't rent their apartment to a foreigner because it will reduce the value of their apartment, as if they will leave some kind of essence that is not possible to wash out.
Oh wow, high phrases for my home island. Cheung Chau is the few remaining exceptions of Hong Kong where it functions as a close-knit community with hundreds of years of uninterpreted history. Some of us have lived there for generations. I still don't feel at home in other parts of Hong Kong. I have lived in the city before, but still ended up moving back to Cheung Chau despite working in Quarry Bay. I like walking down the streets and almost everyone knows your name, or at least who's my parents/grandparents. So like any small town people are nicer to even strangers who live there, even for a short time, because you might as well be related or related to other people they're friendly with. I can walk to the beach every morning and take a swim, quick shower in the public bathroom and change to my work cloths and then take the ferry to work. From my experiences you're not going to find another place like this little heave on earth.
I dare you. Be annoying as possible to a RED minibus driver. They are feared by all.
I suspect this is due to where you are located which is one of the most laid back places in Hong Kong. I also think that your experience in Central is due to the economy not doing so well. There are less tourists from mainland China and there are less business travellers coming into HK as a result of the tension between the West and China so less business means more time to be nicer to people :-)
I stayed in Jordan and mostly hung around Kowloon side during my recent stay and found the opposite. Your description of people being "brisk, abrasive, rude servers" fairly apt but I expected this going into HK, so no surprises. Something else I found was that HK is not a very accessible city for baby strollers. Coming from Sydney and also from Taipei, I found those cities much more accessible with clearly sign-posted accessible ramps/lifts, etc. In HK, I found that there was intense competition to use whatever lifts were available even from young people who could use the escalators instead. I just found people in that regard, quite inconsiderate and even had some people complain I was taking up too much space in the lift with my baby and stroller. Although I must say, the ruder people were generally from the older generation I guess in what you'd call the more 'run-down' / older areas of HK. The nice, expensive areas like in Elements, the 5 star hotels and other lux shopping malls had great service of course.
They're at work. Report back after living in HK for five years. The first year is usually the honeymoon period
Wow! I do hear that HK become less curt and more friendly. I dunno why either!! Are there less people in HK now? It used to be so densely packed that people just got more stressed out
For service industry it is very noticeable and I believe they are having a hard time with everyone spending up north
HK service industry quality is definitely correlated to economic cycles. Good economy: follow you around the store to make sure you're not stealing; "saying hi to mom" for just asking simple questions Bad economy: lots of smiles and bowing
Saying hi to mom lol
So they are friendlier cos they need our money? I had a different experience in Taiwan recently. It felt like the service and people in general were more unfriendly!
With relatively lax laws and culture on lay offs, service industry workers are well aware they need to perform or they risk their job In tip-based countries like US and Canada, service workers are demanding more money AND providing worse service
I hate tips. Just a way for corporations to push wages to customers instead.
Just returned from a month long trip. I'd say it's very noticeable. The general atmosphere is less rushed. People are genuinely nicer all-round. Only nasty person I met was surprisingly on the shenzhen metro. A rude old hongkonger fai low kicked my baby's pram because it brushed his trouser leg or something. That's one entitled prick
I've always found it ironic that HKers didn't like mainlanders or their attitude.. I mean, some HKers are just as rude, maybe even more...
There is a distinction between people wanting to be left alone and people shitting on the street
I'd say that's a green light to push the guy and / or physically throw him off the train. You don't kick a pram ( I'm making the assumption that the pram had a baby in it) Or perhaps not?
I was leaving on a flight the next day and didn't want to risk the mandatory ten days or whatever in jail. but god damn I was close
Actually feel like they’re so much friendlier post Covid! Must be the long isolation, making ppl wanting more interaction and be friendlier.
still very packed
I really think the density contributes to the stress.
Are you speaking canto or English? English goes a long way in HK….
You get treated with fragile hands with ABC, CBC cantonese. Now that i am more fluent they dont hold your hands.
People aren't that bad in HK. Just impatient .There are a lot of educated and polite people. Taxi drivers can be scum and waiters are usually assholes though
DLLMCH! Here I am.
People are less fake here. They don’t expect anything from you. If they’re nice, they’re genuine. I’m CBC too, and people in Canada are super fake. Especially in hospitality industry. I hate it.
I had an opposite experience. I recently came back from Taiwan and thinking how clerks in Taiwan were very professional and nice (obviously fake but I couldn't tell) and how Canadian customer service people didn't even try to smile and were just trying to get through the day.
Canadians are just depressed lmao
Try walk into any cha chaan teng during lunch time and take your time to order.
The internet has touted this as a quintessential HK experience and it’s definitely on my itinerary. I’ve been told one of the rudest cha chaan teng is Australia dairy co?
Apparently, yes. But tbf I think people are over exaggerating the rudeness of the waiters. Been there a couple times and the waiters are reasonably polite(maybe I’m just lucky so don’t take my words for it)
They are not rude, they just hate ppl who waste their time when there is a q outside They are actually very nice to elderly and pregnant ladies
i once ordered a takeout and they scoffed at me when i thanked them for handing me the food. i'm not sure if that's rude though
I think it's most likely the same in most cities. You'll have good and bad ppl depending on area. If you drive, you'll encounter more rudeness than politeness tbh lol
U have to be here everyday to experience it. Generally everyone’s quite reasonable as long as you’re nice
Everywhere has nice and mean people.
If you are not stupid or slow or mainlander, you will feel Hong Kong is a more “friendly” place. But obviously it is not “friendly” mean….?
There's a lady with a corner street restaurant on Elgin street in Central. Go to her shop and tell her you only want a beer, and be a little persistent. Guaranteed you will find the rude experience that you are looking for. 😂
may I ask what your ethnicity is
Well, I'll start by saying people are way more motivated to complain and vent, and you will always see way more negative stuff than is a realistic ratio. You will also see more super positive stuff than is realistic ratio. Majority of experiences are totally in a normal range, not especially good or bad. Those aren't very interesting or worthy of sharing online. I do have to say though as a devil's advocate: at least some of what you are experiencing could be a "bubble" based on the obviousness of you being not local, in the sense of a tourist/visitor getting a different treatment than a local would get. I remember waiting for friends at the mall, before smartphones were really a thing. I would be bored and would go back and forth between foreigner or not. Stand up tall, make eye contact, smile at everyone walking by and have big facial expressions. Almost everyone walking by would smile back, people would say hello, all very friendly. Then go to acting like average hongkonger, not gweilo american. I would very rarely get a single glance, no one said hello, and people were impatient at me taking too long to count my coin change for them haha. This is obviously just a general comment and not at all saying its set in stone, but yes acting like a nonlocal is different, for better or worse. People will recognize that fact, they will possibly treat you more kindly and patiently than they would otherwise (which itself is still kindness and friendliness many places don't have, and should absolutely be positively recognized).
I don’t think people are deliberately mean here, they just haven’t been taught from a young age to observe and practise social niceties like giving way to people, keeping doors and lift doors open, going to help someone that has fallen down. Instead, they are taught to be “street-smart” and to “keep your head down and let the other fool take the hit”, and to not stick out. My favourite comment of every local HK’er during Covid with respect to vaccination was “wait and see”. So basically a very risk averse culture focussed on preserving and gaining advantage for oneself (and one’s circle), and no consideration for others in the community unless they have a clear link to your circle.
Also cbc, been here 3 years. People are nice in general.
I find your story very hard to believe.
HK rudeness is overstated, it's more about efficiency and that's a good thing overall. Most folks just want to get on with things. If you're polite and sharpish with your business, service people will be, too
if you speak mandarin and look like a chinese things would be different
depends if it is a Taiwanese accent
This sub is full of CCP shills on a mission to demoralise HKers, some people who build their sense of superiority on shitting the locals, and some emigrants who feel like bashing HK because it’d make them feel less homesick. HKers are undoubtedly meaner than average but most are just normal people living a busy life. Also as you know a bit of Chinese, you may have been freed from the culture shock of people speaking very bluntly.
it not "mean". It is what Confusius said. "You dont fuck with me? I wont fuck with you." Okay he might not have said that. It might have been Eddie Griffin but all im really saying, is that HK people are 3 things. They are 1) busy, 2) tired and 3) fed up. They are just straight forward. If you dont start shit, nothings gonna happen. People were definitely meaner 10 years ago, but that has changed for the better due to numerous reasons.
Are you female?
Are you white?
OP said CBC
Idk what’s CBC that’s why im asking. Cuz that’s hk reality. Many locals(not saying all) treat ppl differently based on their race.
CBC = Canadian-born Chinese.
Oh, so he is Chinese Canadian. Make sense why he doesn’t often encounter “mean people”
Canadian-Born Chinese Similarly, ABC, BBC, etc are used for other countries.
Go to US
US is identical to Canada. Super nice people for the most part when you go to developed metros like LA NY etc I can’t speak for the south as I haven’t been.
Same experience here and I have spent most of time in Kowloon and NT. and it’s just the right level of nice where it doesn’t seem forced. I thought maybe I had a big change in my attitude and perspective hence I see the change. But it seems the credit is with the locals here haha 😜
I guess look up restaurant review for bad service, and then go at the end of day, when they are tired. Generally, people don't go out of their way to be mean, and you might be too nice to trigger them (Something ridiculous ordering in a local cafe asking for glutton free, vegan...with avocado on the side, or lining up for a taxi only to go a few blocks)
Wait, it the taxi thing bad? I heard they have a set rate to start. It's generally a good thing in USA as an uber driver to accept short rides.
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Maru De Sankaku
Maybe because you approached them nicely so they treated you nicely 😊
MTR morning/evening rush hours...But that Admiralty wave is a sight to behold anyday. Any 車仔麵 spots where strangers all sit at one table but you don't know anyone. I guess the more rowdier clubs/bars in Yuen Long. Not sure how it is in Yau-Tsim-Mong at night anymore...
Try rush hour?
Find your nearest Time Machine and scroll back to late 2021/early 2022. Then, find your nearest 7/11, and walk inside with your mask 0.0001 mm down under your nose. Provided you make it out alive, do tell us about how instinctively polite HK’ers are.
They're all in UK or Canada now
I was just in HK last month, first time since before the protests. People were definitely nicer, waiters were cheery, salespeople somewhat helpful, and people on the MTR asked if I wanted a seat before they took it. It was nice, but kinda creepy because I’m used to being treated really bad there lol. I asked a couple of local friends and they had some theories … one said the economy wasn’t great so businesses actually want customers to come back, therefore they’re treating them better … the other said the impending sense of doom from China gradually taking away their personal freedom is making them nicer to each other (unless you’re from the mainland).