Macau is 8 square miles with a population of 600,000. The missionary man had told me it is the most populated place per square foot in the world (although I'll have to check on that). The people here speak Cantonese and although the guidebooks say that English is widely spoken I'd have to disagree. Many speak a few words but I even have a hard time understanding the hotel concierge. I think he has memorized the basics and repeats the same top ten activities to every guest. Still, I'm managing way better than I ever thought I would.
Food can be an emotional thing for people, particularly when diving into the unknown. I haven't eaten anything here so far that I have not had before and most of the menus here have an English translation (although often it's a poor translation that sounds completely unappetizing), yet I've learned in the past couple of days that not all of my western club members are comfortable eating in places where the menu will not be fully explained to them. What has worked for me so far is pointing, describing what I want with gestures, trusting in the staff's suggestions even when you have no clue what they are saying and finishing with a smile.
I had lunch at a local place that the missionary man's assistant had suggested my first day. Q-tip and Marc from the men's team came along. The locals at the next table were smerking as soon as we walked in the place as if to say "Oh, this should be good, 3 ghosts in this place". These guys were clearly laughing at us so I looked back and chuckled back and now it seemed they were laughing with us and not at us.
The waitress called over her young translator junior waiter (for some reason the older people here are convinced that the younger people are completely bilingual LOL). The young boy suggested I try the curry chicken wings. When they arrived I realized I had not planned for eating them with chopsticks but I figured if it was too difficult of a task I'd just use my fingers. I made a go at it while my neighbors at the next table watched my every move. To my surprise I managed to pick up the wing and suck of every morsal of flesh in a single slurp. These were the most tender wings I have ever had. I place the clean bone in a small bowl and went on to the next one.
After our meal the waiting staff was very upset when we left a tip on the table. I still have not figured out tipping here. I read in the guidebooks that the rate is 10% and I've been told that over tipping is an insult but these guys tripped out at any money we were going to leave on the table. Any help out there on this topic would be appreciated.
My sign language at the market and in restaurants it proving to be a found talent and it worked wonders at Margaret's cafe when I went to purchase all of the remaining egg tarts for the 5 a 7 that a team mate was having in her room. I don't expect it to be this easy once I get to the small villages outside of Shangai and certain parts of Canton. I'm pretty open to a lot of food but I wont eat cat, dog or anything that looks like moving rice.
