When you're a Chinese-American with little Chinese literacy, social gatherings among Chinese people can be awkward. My wife recently held a party for members of her Chinese church. Not suprisingly nearly all the gathered spoke Mandarin, with many of the elderly non English speaking. I didn't mind because these parties are usually quite pleasant and I get to try a large variety of dishes that the guests bring. Yummy. (Thanks to the guest who brought the spaghetti with spicy mala sauce. So delicious!)
Unfortunately because I was the only adult who can't speak Chinese, it was difficult to join a conversation. The guests who knew English would have to translate the conversation for me. Then I would rejoin with a witty remark which then had to be retranslated into Mandarin. Inconvenient to say the least. Therefore, as the only non Mandarin speaking adult, I was delegated to the children's table as the unofficial babysitter.
This arrangement did not embarrass me and was actually more practical once you think about it. All the kids spoke English. Therefore they couldn't try to sneak some forbidden English phrases into their talk and get away with it. It also made the adult side of the party more relaxed. The guests didn't have to feel like there's a stranger in the room and try to accommodate me by trying to have me understand the proceedings.
When the party ended, at least I knew enough Mandarin to properly bade farewell to our guests: Zai Jian!
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