last night i had dinner with 3 peers from the states. my boss was obviously overestimating their appetite for roasted duck. till we were almost done, there were still a lot left on the table. one of the 3 lawyers, all dressing decently, asked whether chinese people would take the remainder back home when dining out. without a second thought, i said yes. and actually i did. the man then straightened himself up and said,"my wife never allowed me to do so. she said we're not so poor anyway ." oh my god!!! i thought to some extent we've followed the americans for pragmatism. his words made me confused. this reminds me another dinner 3 months ago with one of our clients from mexico. it must be my boss' way of showing hospitality to order at least double amount of food. during the dinner, our guest noticed the serving was still ongoing, and asked carefully,"how will u deal with the remainder?" i said the same as the above. he seemed ultimately relieved," that's what i'm worrying about." what a gentleman. i like him much more than the previous one.