Monday, September 24, 2007
Popo-Mama 婆婆妈妈
Chicken Pickin'.
I think I have mentioned how every day at lunch I sit with the girls at the office and popo-mama. An eastern Tennessee friend pointed out that they call this chicken pickin' where she is from, but I can't remember how we would say at home: women sitting around talking about ... well, everything. Its not just gossiping, it rarely is in fact. We talk about anything - clothes, food, men, hair, travel, vacation and weekend plans, sometimes even government, politics and seldom religion. I truly value this time, both for friendship and for a chance to study some Chinese. There is a core group of 5 of us - a fellow validation manager, our business manager, the librarian, and the office ayi. We are sometimes joined by the admin. 3/4 of them are Shanghainese, so if the business manager is not present I get a chance to practice my Shanghai-hua (local dialect), which I cannot understand the words of but mostly get the meeting. It is a completely different language to putonghua (Mandarin).
If anyone remembers how to say this in the midwest, let me know. They want me to translate, but I can't find my own words.
BTW, I got published this weekend :-) http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bjweekend/2007-09/21/content_6124077.htm
I think I have mentioned how every day at lunch I sit with the girls at the office and popo-mama. An eastern Tennessee friend pointed out that they call this chicken pickin' where she is from, but I can't remember how we would say at home: women sitting around talking about ... well, everything. Its not just gossiping, it rarely is in fact. We talk about anything - clothes, food, men, hair, travel, vacation and weekend plans, sometimes even government, politics and seldom religion. I truly value this time, both for friendship and for a chance to study some Chinese. There is a core group of 5 of us - a fellow validation manager, our business manager, the librarian, and the office ayi. We are sometimes joined by the admin. 3/4 of them are Shanghainese, so if the business manager is not present I get a chance to practice my Shanghai-hua (local dialect), which I cannot understand the words of but mostly get the meeting. It is a completely different language to putonghua (Mandarin).
If anyone remembers how to say this in the midwest, let me know. They want me to translate, but I can't find my own words.
BTW, I got published this weekend :-) http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bjweekend/2007-09/21/content_6124077.htm
# posted by Laurel @ 12:49 PM 
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