by Tina Tseng
Ever get the feeling that all men are the same? They’re always tired when you want to talk and never sensitive enough to your feelings? It seems like men the world over behave the same way when it comes to girls. They fall for women with great figures; they prefer playing basketball to shopping on a beautiful Saturday afternoon; they’re always talkative in business meetings but always half-dead when dealing with relationship quarrels. The list can go on and on, yet despite all the similarities, men from different sides of the globe can actually be quite different from one another (and I’m not talking physically here). Coming from a Latin American background, I have experienced first hand the differences between latinos and chinos when it comes to the business of women. Hugs and Kisses Can’t ever get enough of that? Afraid to be teased if your friends saw you hugging a girl that’s not your girlfriend? Don’t want to be the subject of gossip among your classmates? Or is it because you still want peace with that nagging girl of yours? Well, come to Latin America – it is the land of hugs and kisses. The first thing any guy will do when they see a girl friend (intimate or not) is give her a big bear hug with a kiss on the cheeks while softly whispering “Good morning” in her ear. Girls, how often do you get that kind of affection from a Taiwanese guy? The hugging and kissing can be heart-melting if the guy happens to be the senior hunk from the varsity soccer team. But what if it was that classmate with sweaty armpits and pimpled face who warmly greeted you? You’d wish you were here in Taiwan. And matters get even worse if it was your own boyfriend hugging that hot classmate of his. That was one thing I never understood, even after living in Latin America for 15 years, why the girls never got angry at their boyfriends for hugging another girl right in front of their eyes. Being a Man If you were a guy living in Latin America, you better act like one. And by that I mean opening doors and carrying bags for girls, giving them your coat when the weather is cold, walking in the back of a crowd of girls to ensure their safety, and basically helping out whenever help could be used. Call it machismo, but Latinos make it their duty to protect women. And, like hugging and kissing, this kind of treatment goes to all female friends. It may seem like they treat girls as if girls were incapable of carrying their own bags or watching out for their own safety; but the truth is, most women would choose this kind of machismo over that where the guy feels he is the boss and it is okay for him to sit on the couch and watch TV while the girl does the cooking and cleaning. The problem with Latin hospitality is that women are not used to such behavior and may take it the wrong way, only to find out that the guy already has a girlfriend of five years. Ouch! Words Say it All? If hugs and kisses and gentlemanly actions meant no more than friendship, then it must be the words that carried the feelings. Latin Americans are a group of people who expressed their feelings effusively. It is “te quiero” (I love you) day and night. And unlike in Taiwan, it is not just a girl thing. Latin American men are as ready as any woman to tell their loved ones how much they feel for them. If a Latino dug you, you’d know for sure. Whether the confession comes through a poem, a song, a letter, or simply his own spoken words, it is bound to be carried out with a sincere look and a kiddy smile. There’s no way any girl could say no to such an innocent face. He will make you forget all your principles and make you believe that you are the whole world to him. Perfect if it really came from his heart. The thing is, love is not “love” in the Latin world. The words “I love you” may come from a simple crush. The good part is, even if you do reject a Latino, he’d gain his composure back in no time and kid around with you as if nothing had happened. It’s Fiesta Time! Ever since childhood, boys in Taiwan are told by their parents to study hard, get a good job and earn lots of money. Don’t bother fretting over women; they’ll come your way once you’re rich. Men live under the social pressure of achieving some kind of success in their careers. Thus, Taiwanese males make it a mission to conquer all studies and climb to the top of the professional ladder. For them, work comes first. Latinos, on the other hand, take work in a much more relaxed manner. Partying once a week is an absolute must. In Latin America, it’s not so much worrying about getting the work done as it is about where to go on a Friday night. (Little wonder why Latin Americans are the “mañana” [tomorrow] people.) Men there spend more time practicing the salsa dance than working in their offices! Girls, are you moved by such Latin affection? Are men who know how to sway their butts to the music while never forgetting to say “I love you” your type of guy? Or like me, do you still prefer the more hands-off, subtle way of expressing feelings, and like having guys work hard so that maybe you yourself wouldn’t have to work as hard? But then again, who says you have to choose between a latino and a chino? Just as long as you know who makes the good husband, and who the lover! a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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