Rant: A tourist in Shanghai told me my Mandarin was 'surprisingly good' for a foreigner, and it just felt so backhanded.

We were at a noodle shop near People's Square when he said it with a smile, and I've been annoyed about that 'compliment' ever since.

3 comments

3 Comments

hannaht291mo ago

@faith_palmer51 hit on something real there. People throw out those comments because they don't know what else to say, but it still stings. It's part of a bigger thing I notice every day where folks reduce each other to labels. Like when someone tells me I'm "pretty articulate for a retail worker" like that's supposed to be a compliment. The surprise just shows they had low expectations to begin with.

faith_palmer511mo ago

What if they say that because they're surprised by their own bad English? Sometimes people point out language skills to cover up their own insecurity about not speaking yours. That could turn the annoying comment into a sad one about them.

angela3781mo ago

Guess you're onto something. I once tried to order food in Spanish and accidentally asked for a plate of angry squirrels. My insecurity definitely showed that day. Maybe we're all just faking it until we make it.