I've actually never really felt shame or disgrace (mostly a little regretful) that I'm a banana until one day in my life when after trying my best to explain things in Chinese and finally apologizing for my not being fluent, the auntie go and say, (in Chinese), "Chinese, but dunno how to speak Chinese, what kind of human/person are you?" like I was the ultimate disgrace to the entire Chinese community. And it was so loud, I'm pretty sure the whole waiting area could hear. At that moment, I felt more anger than shame that she asked me what kind of human I was. This type of situation makes me feel even more reluctant to study the language. I had horrible Chinese class experience back in primary school too. I only went for two lessons. Learned nothing at all. Anyway, enjoyed listening to your experiences, I manage so-so now with my so-so proficiency. :)

Same thing here with my whole family being English educated, my mum decided to get me to try a year of Chinese kindergarten when I was 6. Being a kid who thought I was English because all I could speak is English at that time, the class teacher would scold me everyday saying its not that I can't speak, it's that I don't want to speak. I remember once when I got caned for apparently getting my parents to help me with my writing (supposedly I had good hand writing for a 6 year old since I already had 3 years of kindergarten) and even after my mum tried to explain to the teacher, she still didn't believe me. After this year I just had a phobia of the language and refused to speak even a word of mandarin. But interestingly I went to TARC to study and got thrown into a class everyone except me was Chinese educated, so I just was forced to pick it up if I wanted any friends. Now I can at least understand Malaysian mandarin and hold at least a sub broken conversation in mandarin. But until now I still don't have any faith in the Chinese school education method. Although I think it would be good that I learnt Chinese, and the same for everyone else, but I'm happy I did not go to Chinese school

1. LOVE THIS TT! 2. can totally relate to the mental block 3. Getting picked on in class was the last memory I have of taking Chinese class 4. Leaning and practising in daily conversation works the best for me! learnt heaps from my friends who painstakingly took the effort to teach me, but as we part ways after college, 所有的希望都消失了

Really like this podcast, my English sucks because I was from Chinese school since primary. I think for the Chinese school folks, we really could resonate to what Desmond has said. Our self-esteem are really challenged when it comes to facing folks that can speak English fluently. Brought back so many memories, both bitter and sweet.

OMG! My comment get feature in the podcast. HAHAHA. I'll comment first and continue watching this. I growing up in Chinese environment at primary school at Kedah. Im not banana and you're right that I have banana friends at secondary school cause I went to SMK. I can speak Hokkien cause my family is from Penang as well (Hey Desmond~! Jiak Pa Buei~). I also learned to speak Cantonese when I was a kid watching Digimon, Dragon Ball and TVB drama. When the Mings starts to share about the story, it was so sad to me to know how you guys had to learn Chinese at ths kind of environment. That teacher should not continue to be teacher anymore because he or she is really pieces of DA BIAN. At this time, Im just being grateful for my English school teacher and tuition teacher who taught me well when I was a kid. Younger generation was top of my curiosity list. You all really put out some witty quality content and the takeaway table is the only podcast that I tune in every week. Keep up the good work. 🤟🤟 Banana in Korean is actually pronouce as BA NA NA as well 바나나. 우유 (U YU) that Ming Yue was trying to say is milk. The KOREA banana milk is really popular that Ming Yue confuse about it.

I'm a pure banana - I can't speak or understand any Chinese dialect. My Dad's Hokkien (only dialect he speaks), Mum is Kadazan (I can't speak it either). I grew up in an English-speaking environment. Picked up BM in school. I did try attending Mandarin classes in my 20s but I gave up because I couldn't pick it up. When I hang out with my Chinese-speaking friends, sometimes they'll talk in Chinese and "forget" I'm there and I don't understand a word. It sucks.

Really relate with the boys, old ppl Chinese somewhat quite hostile towards us banana, makes us even more difficult to adopt the language. While learning Japanese, which their kanji are as hard as Chinese, I can learn it

chinese isnt that hard to learn. I am indonesian chinese. Able to speak mandarin after 4 years of watching chinese dramas with eng sub every day.

Amazing. I'm a Singaporean banana, and I recently found out that Malaysian Chinese bananas actually existed. I was under the impression that all Malaysian Chinese had excellent Mandarin & Canto because they went to Chinese school.

Please feature desmond more hahahaha he’s so funny 😂😂😂

I can relate to Desmond's story so much!

Dude!! The Ming bros try Karaoke Classic Chinese hit songs, that's the content we all wanna watch :D like the singing scoring system and with the vintage UI xD

best part of the podcast 33:45 - 34:35

Also, last time Chinese school does teach science and mathematics in Chinese. I could still remember the '操纵性变数‘ and '反应性变数'.

Being a banana has never been a problem to me. All you have to do is talk to the Chinese educated students about The Three Kingdoms story(English translated) or wuxia TV drama based on stories written by Jin Yong and you'll do just fine. They will willingly talk to you in English about those subjects. I hated the Chinese lessons class during primary though and it wasn't until I was so engrossed with the movie Swordsman starring Sam Hui during that I watched during secondary school that I wanted to learn to write Chinese again!

Proud banana here from Infant Jesus Convent. English has worked in great favours for me. I can articulate my thoughts well whilst I see my chinese educated colleagues struggle to explain a simple theory or keep using English words in the wrong way e.g., improv (they think it means to improve). Anyway I can speak Canto well and Mandarin (conversational). But I think and even dream in English.

I have struggled in English. I was once public-shamed by some people because I can't speak fluent English. Since that, i try hard to improve my language. Seriously, language is not easy. Mandarin is hard, but if you nailed it, yes you are great!!!! TBH, my Chinese primary school was a nightmare for me too! so much homework, tuitions, Ko-K, punishment, & sifir !!!!!!!

can cofirm chinese primary school (at least from more than ten years ago) Changes™️ you. Sometimes i look back it and genuinely wonder how it wasn't child abuse lmao

To all the Malaysian Chinese, if you can't speak and understand Mandarin and other Chinese dialects, you're not a disgrace. But if you can't speak and understand Malay, then you're a disgrace to Malaysia. Why? Because Malay is the official language in Malaysia.

please bring back them learning Chinese lol I need this in my life

my emotion during minghan's story: 🤔🤣🤣🥺🥺😢

half banana from sg now I have evolved can speak can hear cannot write... even my Chinese name always written wrongly...

PIEN-NO cracked me up hahhaa

when they where trying to figure out Xiang Jiao as banana, i was just like guys its what you talked about for the last hour. in my head I was going its banana!

Dude... U-Yu is Milk. Not Banana lah. I'm Sino-Murut My Dad is Murut and my Mom is Chinese-Cantonese. Grew up during childhood with English at home. My Dad side Grandparents spoke Malay to me and my Mom side spoke Cantonese. Elder cousin rojak'd Sabah-English or Manglish. My childhood is kinda fcuked up, to be honest. My parents decided to send me to Super Cina school and I thought everyone spoke Cantonese. The Mandarin language is so foreign to me, I still remember I struggled for a few months. But eventually, with classmate everyone spoke rojak because half of the class are sinos or bumiputra sabah and the other half are Chinese classmates. We usually code-switch certain words (Malay/Hakka/Cantonese) but most of the time we communicate in Mandarin. Went to SMK, and that's where my mind started to lag a bit for the first few months. This time with more diverse classmates from different parts of ethnic and regions of Sabah and their family statuses. Some speak very good English, some grew up in a manglish environment, some very cina-beng, some very kampung focus on 1 tribe and some came all the way from Sandakan or Tawau with different Malay Dialect/Slang. Me, being a Sino mixed Child. I easily got attached with all kind of group want to be friend with me. I don't really have like 1 gang group because today I might hangout with the Kadazans play some music, the next day the Bajaus invite me to play football Friday while Muslim brothers go back early for their sembahyang jumaat. I'll hang out with the Chinese play basketball at school. Then on weekend the 'Very Good English' gang once a while will invite me to their member's hotel resort and hang out at their yacth. I remember very clearly in Form 4, during the 'Pengawas' selection. I got selected personally by the Cikgu Disiplin because she knows I'm the only person in school can basically have normal conversation with anyone without prejudice. When there's a fight between different tribe of people, I'm usually the peacemaker. I guess I'm one of the lucky one my parents and neighbour are not really particular with their child's friends or classmate background.

My Peranakan (Baba Nyonya) friends got abused by Mandarin speakers since 1980s.

Remember during my primary school in smjk my banana teacher KH Geography history sains seni maths speak Cantonese in class because they don't know mandarin

I can speak Chinese, and I'm chindian. Ah-Ha!

semi-banana here just know how to speak Cantonese.... that's all Mandarin is out , from 5 years old.... Bahasa Malaysia/English is fluent which is lonely and depressed Identity crisis sometimes ( am i chinese or hybrid english or malay ) who am i.... but i still able to understand by hearing

unfortunate,you are not staying in Johor baru,in Johor,irregardess you are study in sekolah kebangsaan,Private school,international school or study in Singapore,normally they can speak Mandarin fluently.

Desmond is all chinese kid spirit animal HAHAHAHA

I speak English with my family, speak Chinese to most of my friends and also to my spouse, went to Chinese school up till Form 5, but I text in English most of the time. I watch both English and Chinese content. Hope that explains why I am here listening to English podcast. 😂 That's the beauty of being a Malaysian in my opinion. 😁

I listen to your podcast because I want to learn English and try to understand how other Malaysians speak English. I am Malaysian Chinese, I am not banana and my English and BM are really terrible...

I am a mandarin mainly speaker and I'm still listen to your broadcast 🤣 desmond careful ah your statement "我是中國人（i am a chinese (china national)” might trigger some issue in malaysia 🤫

im grateful that i have a gf that speaks chinese and always help me to order food in chinese lol

Wo yao chi ni de da bian hahahaha💀

Should i suggest that, MingYue and Desmond take up the cross learn language.

Ming Yue and Ming Han are siblings haha

BM should at least be the #2 !

chi da bian! 😅😅😅

Johor got banana?

i once ordered mcd in hk with cantonese and the lady replied me in english. that conversation stopped way fast.

Penang banana can speak hokkien Ipoh banana can speak Cantonese but both don't speak mandarin

Haw Yeah ! Banana FTW!

i think uyu in korean means milk tho HAHA banana in korean is actually just banana xD

Did Desmond just said “con7can”?

What am I doing here?

Banana can speak well English and Malay, Chinese school students seldom can speak very fluent English and Malay 😅😅😂

Wtf there's a sister Ming?!

For some reason , Korean is easier to learn compare to Chinese l

Yes, u r a banana when u have a choice and choose, but u choose not to.

To the proud bananas, though some of us claimed that English is our main language in Malaysia, its just Manglish - broken English, inauthentic accent where pronunciation and grammatical errors are common ... that said, lots of Malaysians have not master any language properly but with a mix of dialects (hokkien, hakka, teochew, cantonese) and malay ... Perhaps if you have met Americans, Africans, Europeans who speak Mandarin fluently by making an effort to learn it at Taiwan or China as teenagers or adults, we Malaysians really should be ashamed of ourselves that all languages we claimed we speak fluently are indeed mediocre despite living in a multilingual environment...

No need 53min of podcast Basic thing bro, everyone should know their own languge