The typical phrase that people use when they want to show off that they are knowledgeable about Chinese identity is, “What Chinese do you speak, Mandarin or Cantonese?” Growing up, I hit everyone with a curveball by responding, “Neither, I speak Teochew.” Teochew is a Southern min dialect from South East China, the Eastern part of the Guangdong province. Many people may know it by its Cantonese name, “Chiu Chow.”