Concept

You may argue I am just outdated and the event is never supposed to be a Thank You Dinner (謝師宴) - after all, who wants to thank you ?

In that case soliciting sponsorship from us, the possibly well-to-do seniors (many of us, unfortunately, are not), seems entirely justified. As I mentioned, we have a custom to support events of this kind by the nurses, secretaries, and patients.

But no. Nurses and secretaries work for us. More often than not we just cannot find enough opportunity to thank for their contribution and effort to ease us from numerous troubles.

How about patients ? To an university teaching staff, medical students are no different from patients to the doctors - we are supposed to care and support and encourage their independence. Yes, I donate, most happily, every year to the dinner hosted by the patient support group. However, our patients, and also nurses and secretaries, come mostly from the middle and lower class. They are content and always hold their dinner in local restaurants.

And I would be equally uneasy to write a cheque if they book a table at the Gaddi's or the Petrus.

As JW always says, even if you are a rich dad, you need to cultivate the correct concept of money for your children, rather than allowing them to overspend even before they could earn any.

Otherwise your children would become Americans.