Chinese for...

While we were taking our vacation last February traveling all around the northern part of China we met some Australians whom we befriended quickly and still miss seeing. Of the many things that we talked about, I did ask them the question that I've always wanted to ask somebody from Australia - is Foster's really a popular beer in Australia? If you've never seen the American commercial for this product, their tag line goes something like "Fosters - Australian for Beer", implying the implicit devotion to this beer by all Australians. According to what I remember them answering, they said that it was actually one of the lesser beers sold in the country! For some reason this sparked the weird idea for me to write this blog using the odd translation errors made in everyday places here in China and applying a "Chinese for..." tag line. Here are a few products I hope you never find in your American market. Enjoy!

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Chinese For:
Ice cream. Seriously. The literal translation is "Red Bean Ice Cream Mountain". Traditional ice cream is just too boring. Why not spice it up with red beans, green beans, and pineapples? Because obviously those three things just scream to be combined with ice cream.

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Chinese For:
Comb-over. A tupee is so last year and balding at an early age can be quite unpleasant. What's a balding man to do then? With our special Chinese herbal medicines you can now grow out your sideburns long enough to cover any embarrassing bald spot you may have. Wow!

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Chinese For:
Mealtime Hairdo's. That's right folks. Have you ever found yourself about ready for dinner only to look in a mirror and find that the stresses of the day have messed up your gorgeous hair? Never fear, just pick up a bottle of "Supper Styling Gel" and fix up that mess! (Breakfast and Lunch Gels sold separately).

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Chinese For:
Cross-Promotional Advertising. Companies really do need to work more in harmony - and what better example than to try selling Coffee on a Pizza Hut billboard. I mean, those two products go hand-in-hand for sure. So next time your wake up to the smell of fresh coffee don't forget to pick up a piece of pizza on the way.

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Chinese For:
Snack foods. Sugar? Nope, that's bad for your teeth. Packaged? Nope, it's better fresh. If isn't not still squirming when it enters your mouth, it's not a real Chinese snack food.





Well, that's all we've got pictures for, although there's plenty more we could add to this list, I'm sure. Mis-translations are such a problem here in China that they actually set up a committee to get rid of errors in and around Beijing in time for the Olympics.

One last thing. We're not quite sure how many people read our blog regularly, but I've been assured there are more than a few. Anyway, if you're out there in internet world and have had an interest in our China experiences, we would love to invite you to an open house at the Summer's house on August the 5th (a Sunday). We'd love to share stories, pictures, and most of all just enjoy the company of an American. If you're at all interested, you can e-mail us at the links on the side of this blog and we can give you more specific details.

Thanks again for reading...only 14 more days until we step foot on American soil!