Also, just to clarify, the OP (me), said he doesn't plan on settling down in China. Though not sure about other Chinese speaking countries or places with large Chinese speaking populations, as well as work stints in China.
"if you live or reside in a foreign country, it is plain arrogant not to know the other language. It will make people scream "foreigners out" in due time"
Though I really like where you are coming from in terms of wanting to show respect to all people, I am not responsible for other people's actions or attitudes. Also, English IS an international language now, and is written on every street in China. It is nothing like expecting people in Kunming might understand Serbo-croat (for example).
And though I agree that cultural imperialism is a BIG sidetrack, I can't resist pointing out how useful and international both Latin and Greek were for such a long time after the respective decline of those empires. Good points besides.
Anyway. Lots of good food for thought on the whole thread.
Actually the USA is the world's second largest economy. the EU is the biggest. That said much of your post rings true.
Though the rise of China bit seems a bit fairy tail-ish, I think it will be way more modest than that if it even continues beyond the next ten years . You mention the USA and UK, but their rise required a massive amounts of war and bloodshed. They also faced far fewer major internal problems, in a world with far more energy resources, and all this was in the age before the methane/co2 threat. Add to that the huge protectionism of the time and that this all before the dominance of global finance over national economies.
Anyway, a bit off topic.
To put it another way, if you don't plan on living in China indefinitely, does studying Chinese make sense?
And perhaps this question could be asked of any language (except English).
When people study Russian or Japanese these days, they often say its only for business purposes. But I would guess that Russian and Japanese business people know how to speak passable English?
anybody?
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Good music (very good actually), fresh food, nice decorations. Not very spacious, but on the other hand that also makes it a bit cozy. Pizza is pretty good, yogurt and chocolate are made in the shop.
Not the cheapest, but affordable to be sure, and a better bargain than most places around wen lin jie. And unlike some places, you won't get anything insulting or shocking on your plate. If the menu says salad, you will get a salad, if the menu says pizza, you will get a pizza- not a miniature cake with ketchup and fruit melted on to it. An actual pizza that you will want to eat. They also have good beer.
I know this place very well.
Here is the breakdown.
PROS:
Super friendly, sincere, staff who do care about you.
Good greasy spoon breakfast for the masochistic.
Best salad in Kunming.
Reasonably priced lunches.
Nice selection for Korean food.
Some nice fish, steak, etc.
They have decaf coffee, if you feel like a very late coffee.
Friendly atmosphere and lots of natural light.
CONS
Sandwiches are mostly bread, white bread, with little inside.
Almost every beef dish is murdered by excessive cumin.
Deserts are too sweet, heavy, and not well made.
Pizza, breakfast sausage, enchiladas and burgers are all pretty nasty. Not so good.
Dry environment is a bit plain and they often play music such as Air Supply type stuff, that can be really annoying.
The waiters, are a bit incompetent and don't realy know it. They always forget something. You just have to remind them, and everything will be ok, but still...
Conclusion: I would only go out of my way to eat here for the salad bar at dinner time-very good! Otherwise, I would come here often if I lived nearby. If not living nearby, and not a salad person, it would be an ok place to eat, but not a must.
Best of Kunming 2011 reader nominations
发布者Entertainment: Best Night Club
Babi
Soho
TOP ONE
Is obviously deranged, they are the biggest load of shit ever, wake up people!
Agree! That shit is horrible.