The heading for this particular post is a bit misleading. The "late night nibbles" should really be changed to "late night gorgefest" but nibbles just has a better ring to it.
During one such late night nibble-fest with the girls I raised my head from my french fries to notice that everyone besides our slightly inebriated selves and the McDonald's delivery men* were napping. They had obviously not succumbed to food coma, but rather arrived at the 24 hour McDonald's for the express purpose of sleep.
This reminded me of a blog post that I keep (or kept) forgetting to write.
After a delicious Shanghainese lunch at the popular Yuan Yuan, my colleagues and I were leaving the restaurant when I noticed all the employees, from chef to waiter, availing themselves of the afternoon dining lull to enjoy a quick nap. I immediately decided I had to take a picture of this spectacle for proof for future retellings of this strange and somewhat unbelievable story.
As it turns out, there was no need to disturb their well-deserved slumber with the highbeam flash from my camera. Months of working in a Chinese office and general observation has proven that, in fact, napping--anywhere and everywhere--is quite common, indeed even expected, in China. My first thought, fabulous!
However, the first time I turned around from my computer to find my cubicle mate snoring away in front of an unfinished Excel spreadsheet I was shocked and indignant. What right, I thought, does she have to
sleep at work? We already took an hour long lunch break, is that not enough? The rest of us are working and here she is napping! A few weeks later, it happened again with another coworker. She even had the gall to announce it before resting her head upon her arm, "I'll just doze for a while."
Just today, as I was walking back to work from lunch I noticed many people in their work suits lying down and sleeping on the benches lining the pedestrian street where many restaurants and nummy eateries are located.
After eight months here I no longer find napping, whether at work or in public, an anger inducing habit. I have descended from my high horse and have even begun to enjoy the occassional shut-eye session when feeling particularly exhausted or overfull from a recent nibble-fest.
I find China's napping culture a testament to a country where communism and a profusive population have shaped the traditions and values of its people. The sheer number of people in China (Shanghai boasts 17 million alone) makes it nearly impossible to find personal time or space. Locations that westerners would normally deem quite and solitary are, in China, so full of people that it is impossible to simply walk in a straight line. Living space, too, is often shared by three generations, making "me time" almost non-existent. As a result, many private activities, such as napping, become public. Instead of retreating to the haven of the apartment shared between themselves, their husband, children and parents, the Chinese take to the streets, finding anonymity within the madding crowd.
Napping in the workplace, I think, stems from the history
danwei or unit. During communism, and much less prevalently today, workers were all a part of a
danwei. The
danwei provided healthcare, food, employment, lodging and life-long security. Living in China during the 1960s, one lived and breathed the
danwei. Thus, many activities such as napping, which foreigners would dismiss as too unprofessional or unbecoming, are the norm in China, because when you live your whole life with a group of people, what's there to hide?
Heed the siren's call, O Nap Lover, Chinachinachina....
*late night McDonald's~always a good, albeit guilt-inducing, choice. The delivery men are saints, working 24 hours and making a measly 2000 RMB (approx 300 USD) a month.
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Now playing:
Ella Fitzgerald - Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to Youvia FoxyTunes
No guard rails or roped off zones as they dig in to the street. I like the pedestrian with the umbrella the best. I'm pretty sure he is not a construction worker:
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