Ganbei culture is killing me with kindness

His face as red as an apple my Chinese colleague rose to propose a toast. "To our cooperation and future," he loudly blurted out across a table of half eaten food. As our table-mates stood he lifted his glass and shouted, "Ganbei!" The baijiu burned as it rushed down my throat.

When I sat down the same Chinese colleague turned to me and said, "Now that we are happy drinking together we will leave this table as good friends."

Even though my head was spinning I realized that drinking carries much more cultural significance in China than it does in America.