When I go out with my Asian wife and her family, talk is about money and little else. If you buy anything you will be grilled about how much you paid and invariably told where you could have bought it cheaper. Chinese supermarkets are huge, offer a huge variety, and are much cheaper. A party of eight can eat in a Chinese restaurant for the same price as two in your average posh nosh joint. Houses, cars and education are priorities, but I am often surprised at how frugally some homes are furnished. So in answer to the above question, one answer may lie in home economics, as much as it does in earnings. Taiwanese women are great with money and run very tight ships. There is a large sub economy that exists, that allows the Asian community both to be semi autonomous and frugal, thus enabling leverage in the economy as a whole.
Lol…. I feel sorry for you man. Because even though I'm Chinese, I was born here and I always found it tacky that Chinese people seem to be incapable of having dinner with other Chinese without somehow talking about money. You have to understand, it's part of the DNA. There was joke my friend told me:
A Chinese businessman drives his Mercedes to a bank in New York City. He talks to his banker and says that he wants to borrow $1000 for two weeks. As collateral he will offer is entire car and promises to pay interest.
His banker appears puzzled, because the businessman is extremely wealthy. But nevertheless, the businessman insists, and the banker oblige. The banker takes his car,stores it, and and gives the businessman $1000.
Two weeks later, the businessman returns to the bank, and sees the banker. He returns $1000 plus $15 in interest payment and fees. The banker retrieves the car from storage and hands the businessman the key. Still puzzled, the banker asks
Banker: Excuse me for asking. You own a successful business and clearly do not have any financial problems. Why did you need to borrow $1000?
Chinese Businessman: I needed to go on a trip for two weeks. Where else in New York City would I be able to park my car for $2 a day? Ah the mind of a Chinese.
