| If you don’t drink, I think the best approach is to come right out and tell your host, “Sorry, I don’t drink.” Uh, perhaps it’s for health reasons, or perhaps it’s for religious reasons. For example, in the US, Mormons are teetotalers. They also don’t drink soda, or tea, or coffee. I think that in contemporary Chinese society, we can, uh, tell our hosts directly, “Uh, sorry, I don’t drink. Uh, I appreciate your kindness, uh, and would it be OK if I drank soda instead? Could I drink juice instead? Could I drink tea instead?” Uh, in today’s Chinese society, people are less inclined to push others to drink. If you don’t drink, it’s better to tell your host point blank. It’s more awkward if you are embarassed to do so, and everybody starts making toasts, and after just two or three, you are drunk and throwing up. Uh, being sick on somebody or falling-down drunk, uh, when everybody is drinking happily, and you’re already out of it, and are laying there or sleeping there, that’s really embarrassing for the host and a loss of face for you. I think this kind of situation is far worse [than saying you don’t drink]. | 如果你不喝酒的话啊，我觉得最好的方法就是很坦白的跟主人说：“对不起，我不喝酒。”啊也许是健康上的关系，也许是宗教上的关系。譬如说，美国的这个摩门教徒，他们是不喝酒的啊，也不喝汽水，也不喝茶跟咖啡的。我觉得啊，在现在中国的这个社会呢，我们可以啊直接跟主人说：“啊，对不起，我不喝酒，那啊你的好意我心领了，啊，我可不可以喝汽水代替，我可不可以喝果汁代替，我可不可以喝茶代替？”啊现在在中国比较不会勉强啊别人喝酒，你如果不喝的话，我觉得直截了当的跟主人说比较好。比较不好的情形就是你不好意思推，结果大家都来敬酒，然后没三两下呢你就吐了、就醉了。啊，这个吐在别人身上，或者是醉倒了，啊，大家都来在很高兴喝酒的时候，你已经啊不行、躺在那里，睡着睡在那里，让主人很不好意思，那你也很丢脸。我觉得这样子的情形是比较糟糕的。 |