We just got back from our local fruit shop. It's a great (and cheap -despite being located inside our living complex) little shop that sells everything from kiwis to mangoes. Being big fruit consumers, we are there every second or third day.
Today, we bought the usual: 5 bananas and a bag of kiwis.
When the friendly woman behind the counter put our fruit on the scale she gave us a long look and asked:
-Is it in your country considered luck to buy five bananas? We were a bit startled.
-Eh... no?
-So why do you always buy it? Five bananas. Why not six? That's a better number.
Oh, our bad. Even numbers it is. Everywhere. Even when u buy your banans. Take note!
5 comments:
Jonas, it's not even numbers that are considered lucky by the Chinese. It's the number 6. Chinese believe 6 is a number that would ward off evils and keep things peaceful. The number 666 is also considered a lucky number to the Chinese. My understanding is that Taiwan Chinese are more into this number and luck thing. I have Taiwanese friends. They usually bring a gift (commonly fruit or desert) when we invite them over for dinner. As for fruit, they always bring 6 pieces of something. They told us never to bring 4 pieces. I know the number is considered prosperity by Cantonese speaking folks. I am not sure if all Mainland Chinese are into these number games.
Yeah I know 6 is considered to b a lucky number over here. It's the number 1 choice after number 8... ;)
I just found it so funny that our local fruit lady thought that 5 was a lucky number in our country just because we always tend to buy 5 bananas?!! Talk about keeping track!!
Not only will they remember your buying habits but what you wear and when, how you behave, what you say [and don't] - there's hardly a detail that goes unnoticed. All reassuringly frightening.
The mother of one of my colleagues died last year, we all gave money to the collection.
When they totted it up the donated amounts were an even number so somebody put in an extra 1 rmb.
They told me that even numbers can be divided by two so it's as if you were wishing that someone else in their family would die.
Well, this is interesting.
I really appreciate this lady's customer management abilities.
I guess if you shop in there a little longer she may give you discount.
Maybe she just cannot help but wondering why you always buy five banana
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