Friday, May 11, 2007

Pai-Kah (敗家)

Food of the Day: Bak Chang/ Yuk Chung (Meat Dumpling)

Okay, this entry is about Pai-Kah. This noun is a word derived from Cantonese to describe people who are spendthrift, not of their own money. If it is in the dictionary, it goes like this:

Paikah [pä-ahy.kahr]
- noun
1. A spendthrift.
2. A person who spends his/her parent's money without thinking.
3. The person (only need one) to make the whole family goes bankcrupt.
4. The influence that had gone to the poor people as well

Paikah Chai/pä-ahy.kahr.chī/A person (male) who spend his parent's money without thinking
Paikah Lui/ pä-ahy.kahr.loo-ee/ A person (female) who spend her parent's money without thinking.

Nowadays, paikah influence, or for short paikah-ism, has spread to every kid in the house, rich poor families could not run away from that. In the feudal century in China, family with paikahs means that they are damn rich, and the paikah chai or paikah lui will definitely finish the family's hard earned money.

In this century, everything you do need money. Everyone is paikah. When you wanted to go out for dinner with normal friends, you spent like $20-$30 per meals. You won't want to squat at the road side to eat durians anymore, which cost you RM3-4 per durians. Ps. I have no idea what is the price, cause I don't eat durian: they smell awesome, but the texture is not my favourite. When you go out for shopping, who would want to go buy a cheap clothes from market, printed with lousy simbols etc. I definitely like to buy something nice, regardless the price.

Then, being influenced by the public, graduants will definitely go for graduation trips. That trip alone, might cause half the price of a honeymoon, but the graduants are only a not-yet-employed, so-called-unemployed-people. Leeching parent's money to go for expensive places and spend the fortune.

Those who spend more than A$25k per year for tuition fees could not be regarded as paikah. But to those whose their parent spend this same fortune, but you still play a fool and fail at least 2 units per semester, is the worst off all.... Units that needed to be retake cost the same price a normal units, if not more.... Don't make me start on flight tickets....

By the way, I admit I am one of the paikah chai. Although I work my ass off sometime, the amount I spent is definitely more than the job wages I had. Hahahahaha..... Totally different from my sister who is an independent person, and do not need any money from my parent. Salute and envy with her. Hehehehhee.

4 comments:

Walter said...

According to your terms, I'm one of the "Paikar Chai". haha!!

I never spend more than A$20-A$30 for one meal with friends while I was in Australia. That's unrealistic...I seldom went to luxury place for lunch or dinner. The most expensive meals I ever had in Australia was the farewell meal with my Monash buddies at Churchill Chinese Restaurant. :P I usually had my meals at cheap fast food stores.

I had my graduation trip. But it's just a stop at Singapore as I have to change my flight at Singapore only.

It seems that I am NOT VERY PAI KARH!!

Leon-G said...

Hahhahaha. How can you not spend that much on meal? When eating in Melbourne, it cost like at least 20 bucks for a Korean food, at least 10 bucks for Chinese/Malaysian foods.....

Now that you started working, you cant even consider yourself being paikah. You are spending your won money.
" Kong Meng Cheng Tai! "

Walter said...

I recall my memory...

I usually have food at food court in Melbourne's China Town, or visit local restaurant at Springvale. Sometimes at McDonald's or KFC...limited the expense up to A$10.

Also...my time at Australia was around 1998-2000, no GST and the standard of living wasn't as high as today.

Leon-G said...

Yeah, but I reckon you can still get Mackas or KFC for 10 bucks++. Maybe I am refering more to Asian foods, and those place I went are definitely get every single cent out of you....