Friend Valerio said,
…we were told in Chinese class that in Chinese culture it is often a compliment to say to somebody “You must be very old!”
Yes, indeed. Being old means that one deserves the respect and extra special treatment on account of one’s age.
It’s socially an advantage to be old in the Chinese culture. (I’m sure Japanese and Korean too.) People are more patient with you, because you’re slower and more feeble. They serve you the food first, and fetch the food from the dishes in the middle of the table and put it on your side plate or directly onto your rice in the bowl. You get lifts to/from places. And of course, you don’t pay for social outings, because you’re no longer earning.
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