Ang pows and the CNY etiquette

There is something crass about the practice of giving angpows during Chinese New Year that I can’t seem to come to terms with. I suppose it’s got to do with the principle of harvesting. You reap nothing, you should not be sowing anything. What have I done that deserves receiving money? Ok, granted that I’ve been a good girl all year, and surely taking money from my parents is justified enough, considering they are after all giving me out of my monthly contribution to the household, and I am only taking a small fraction of what they used to give me. Something they said about earning power being inversely proportional to the size of the angpow. Heh heh.

I never really know how to react when I receive an angpow. Should I exude uncharacteristic ebullience? Should I display effusive ardour? Should I remain nonchalant? Should I crack a joke and pocket the money? I guess traditional CNY etiquette dictates that we should just be polite and take the money with a smile. But then I’d be obliged to stand around and make small talk while the giver enquires about my studies/work/love life/various personal questions about the colour and texture of my faeces. I hate CNY with a vengeance.

On the other hand, taking money is always nice. I’d be stupid to let some minor discomfort like making small talk deter me from taking money from people who are willing to give it. Trader-in-training, I am. Heh heh.

What is disconcerting, however, is the way in which people “celebrate” CNY by demanding angpows like it’s their right. In a joking manner, of course. Whether in a corporate environment or to people higher up on the social order, I think it never is wise to behave indelicately when it comes to matters pertaining to money. This is just my own set of beliefs, but one should never use “face” to force someone into behaving in a way that is not natural or that the person is unwilling to behave in, no matter how wealthy or traditional, poor or stingy. You need always to provide a way out. When I ask questions about sensitive topics, I would never ask directly, and when I do and the person changes the subject or directs the conversation elsewhere, I would never ask it again in that same conversation.

So much for being a straight-shootin’, trash talkin’, ball-beatin’, brash, boorish trader-to-be. Maybe I should be in sales after all. Heh heh.