Holiday Fat
If someone calls you fat, don’t forget to say thank you.
How would you respond if someone at home told you that you looked like you had really packed on a few pounds? A little shocked or offended perhaps? In China it is quite common to greet a friend you haven’t seen in a while, especially after a festive holiday like Chinese New Year, by telling them they look much fatter.
If a friend exclaims to you, “Wah! Ni pang le!” (Wow, you got fat!) perhaps while smiling and inspecting your belly approvingly, don’t take offense- it doesn’t actually mean you are visibly larger, simply that you look good.
Personally, coming from the society that originated anorexia, once you learn to take it as a complement, the Chinese prospective on getting fat should be like a breath of fresh air: fat is good. If you have gotten fat, it means you have been eating well, an indication that you have been successful and leading a prosperous, enjoyable life.
A good example of this mentality is the statue of the fat Buddha that has become so popular in the West. The fat Buddha has very little to do with actual Buddhist beliefs, but rather embodies the Chinese ideal of prosperity and happiness being associated with a nice big belly of lipid largess.
The only possible downside to this positive standpoint on a little extra weight is the rising trend in child obesity China is now seeing. The one-child policy has resulted in a generation of children referred to as “Little Emperors,” only children who are doted on to the point of excess in every regard, including their diets. Western foods like McDonalds and KFC are regarded with a certain about of prestige, and Chinese youth are eating more fast food than ever before. Having a plump, well fed child is one thing, but for many children, the scales appear to be sliding a little too far in their favor.
But as far as this mentality concerns you, rather than getting offended, thank your lucky stars for landing you in a culture that actually believes the, uh, “healthy” look actually is healthy, and feel free to inform your Chinese friend who resembles a bamboo sprout that she’s also looking rather whale like these days.
In the same fat clogged vein, asking someone if they have eaten is a way of asking how they are doing. “Ni chi le ma?” Which literally means, “Have you eaten?” Is a greeting used in the same way Westerns would say, “How are you?” or “Whats up?”
Reply with a cheerful “Chi le,” indicating you’re eating well, growing fat, and living large. In the words of the Chinese author Lin Yutang, “Our lives are not in the lap of the gods, but in the lap of our cooks.”
