This article is about Cognac in Hong Kong. Cognac is a French liquor that has a long history of being served at wedding banquets. Drinking was considered essential components of every major ceremony; some of the major events include, birth, marriage, death, and other major events in the Chinese calendar. Cognac was seen as a symbol of prestige, status, and to show people how much money you have or how sophisticated you are. The use of cognac in Hong Kong has become one of the common markers that Hong Kong residents use to distinguish themselves from Chinese in other localities. They think of it as being symbolic of their greater affluence and worldly sophistication than their components in China.
In Hong Kong they have a normative code on drinking. (1) Drinking is a social activity in the company of others; it is not to be consumed alone. (2) Drinking is a blessing and a pleasure when consumed in moderation. (3) Drinking etiquette is governed by social hierarchy. If an elder has not raised his/her glass to drink, nobody younger or of junior rank should do so. (4) Snacks and meals should accompany drinking.
In the beginning of the article the author states that Chinese are relatively free of alcoholism, forms of alcohol abuse, and the proportion of who are regular consumers of alcohol are very low. To me it seems that they promote drinking and see it as sociably acceptable to drink, but has a few limitations. For example: you can get drunk, but not drunk enough that you make a fool of yourself. I can’t see how the author can justify the Chinese and say that they don’t have any alcohol problems. Alcohol is much easier to obtain in China (supermarkets, corner stores, and retail outlets) than here in Canada and we have so many problems with regards to alcohol. I think that they don’t want to admit that they have a problem and be compared to other countries that have a high rate of alcoholism.
Showing posts with label Smart (Cognac). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smart (Cognac). Show all posts
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Smart - Cognac, Beer, Red Wine or Soft Drinks (3)
Although surveys over a long period of time state that there is and always was a low level of alcohol consumption in Hong Kong, in her article, Smart tells us that in the mid-1990's there was an extremely high consumption of cognac. She compares Hong Kong's consumption of 15.2 bottles per capita to the United States' consumption of 1.2 bottles per capita.
Smart says that there have to be reasons why and how it comes about for cultures to try and then adopt new food and drink that is not culturally familiar to them. She says that drinking in the Chinese culture was always a social act or a ritual for a ceremony. They did not drink to get drunk. So she talks about cognac, which is an imported French liquor, and how it is the most popular drink at wedding banqets in the Hong Kong culture.
Cognac is not a cheap drink. It can cost from $300 to $1400 HK dollars per bottle. Smart tells us that it was the expensive cognac that Hong Kong had a high consumption rate for drinking. Due to economics, cognac is less socially consumed now but is still popular at wedding banquets. They choose to drink the more expensive brands because they felt that drinking or serving cheaper brands hurt your reputation.
French cognac was a symbol of status and prestige in the second half of the 20th century, we are told. Smart tells us that this is one of the reasons why cognac has become a part of their wedding banquets. She tells us that another reason is that Hong Kong residents feel that it distinguishes them from Chinese in other places. They think that the use of cognac shows that they are more affluent and sophisticated than the Chinese people in other parts of China and Taiwan.
This social peer pressure to make yourself feel or look better than others or at least to be as good as others is seen everywhere in the world. Do you think that everyone that goes to Harvard or Yale only go there because of the programs offered? No, because those same programs are offered at other universities but not with the same prestige. Lots of people that go there probably can't afford to go there but will make the sacrafice for the sake of status and reputation. The students and graduates that go to these schools feel better than their counterparts that go to lesser reputable schools. This is the same feeling that the Chinese in Hong Kong get when they consume cognac. They feel better than their counterparts in China. They will make the sacrafice of spending more than they may be able to afford for name's sake only. We can also see this as the reason why people are trying to out-do each other with designer clothing and designer wedding gowns and rings as part of their wedding customs. They will not only look better but be better because they feel better than others.
Unfortunately, most people associate status with expensive material possessions and luxuries. Companies can market their products as much as they can but it will be for social reasons more often that people will buy products. In order to make it appealing to people they should link the product to something of importance to them. Whether we all want to admit it or not, it's all about "What's in it for me?"
Smart says that there have to be reasons why and how it comes about for cultures to try and then adopt new food and drink that is not culturally familiar to them. She says that drinking in the Chinese culture was always a social act or a ritual for a ceremony. They did not drink to get drunk. So she talks about cognac, which is an imported French liquor, and how it is the most popular drink at wedding banqets in the Hong Kong culture.
Cognac is not a cheap drink. It can cost from $300 to $1400 HK dollars per bottle. Smart tells us that it was the expensive cognac that Hong Kong had a high consumption rate for drinking. Due to economics, cognac is less socially consumed now but is still popular at wedding banquets. They choose to drink the more expensive brands because they felt that drinking or serving cheaper brands hurt your reputation.
French cognac was a symbol of status and prestige in the second half of the 20th century, we are told. Smart tells us that this is one of the reasons why cognac has become a part of their wedding banquets. She tells us that another reason is that Hong Kong residents feel that it distinguishes them from Chinese in other places. They think that the use of cognac shows that they are more affluent and sophisticated than the Chinese people in other parts of China and Taiwan.
This social peer pressure to make yourself feel or look better than others or at least to be as good as others is seen everywhere in the world. Do you think that everyone that goes to Harvard or Yale only go there because of the programs offered? No, because those same programs are offered at other universities but not with the same prestige. Lots of people that go there probably can't afford to go there but will make the sacrafice for the sake of status and reputation. The students and graduates that go to these schools feel better than their counterparts that go to lesser reputable schools. This is the same feeling that the Chinese in Hong Kong get when they consume cognac. They feel better than their counterparts in China. They will make the sacrafice of spending more than they may be able to afford for name's sake only. We can also see this as the reason why people are trying to out-do each other with designer clothing and designer wedding gowns and rings as part of their wedding customs. They will not only look better but be better because they feel better than others.
Unfortunately, most people associate status with expensive material possessions and luxuries. Companies can market their products as much as they can but it will be for social reasons more often that people will buy products. In order to make it appealing to people they should link the product to something of importance to them. Whether we all want to admit it or not, it's all about "What's in it for me?"
Smart - Cognac, Beer, Red Wine or Soft Drinks (2)
This reading discusses the importance Cognac plays in Hong Kong culture and society. Cognac is an imported french liquor. Cognac is a brandy aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 30 months under tight guidelines and quality control.
Hong Kong is very light consumers of alcohol. In Hong Kong alcohol is viewed as something that is used during special occasions ( weddings). People on Hong Kong don’t drink to get drunk but it is away to be social.
Cognac is viewed to have an "otherness" which makes it harder to get, co Cognac is for the upper class. Cognac is a way to identify where someone stands on the social ladder ( at a dinner party in Hong Kong people with higher status get served better liquor (cognac) and served before those of lower status.
The serving of alcoholic drinks at wedding banquets has a long history in Chinese culture. What kind of Cognac is served at a wedding shows what social class you belong to. It is away to show off your money and wealth.
This is not completely different in Canada’s society there is for sure some name brands of alcohol that are signs of wealth in our culture such as grey goose. The main difference between the Chinese consumption and Canadian consumption is it doesn’t matter the social wealth to determine when a person gets served their drink at a dinner. Chinese and Canadian culture see drinking alcohol as a way to celebrate an occasion.
Hong Kong is very light consumers of alcohol. In Hong Kong alcohol is viewed as something that is used during special occasions ( weddings). People on Hong Kong don’t drink to get drunk but it is away to be social.
Cognac is viewed to have an "otherness" which makes it harder to get, co Cognac is for the upper class. Cognac is a way to identify where someone stands on the social ladder ( at a dinner party in Hong Kong people with higher status get served better liquor (cognac) and served before those of lower status.
The serving of alcoholic drinks at wedding banquets has a long history in Chinese culture. What kind of Cognac is served at a wedding shows what social class you belong to. It is away to show off your money and wealth.
This is not completely different in Canada’s society there is for sure some name brands of alcohol that are signs of wealth in our culture such as grey goose. The main difference between the Chinese consumption and Canadian consumption is it doesn’t matter the social wealth to determine when a person gets served their drink at a dinner. Chinese and Canadian culture see drinking alcohol as a way to celebrate an occasion.
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