The Chinese idiom - The drinker's mind is not on the cup.I was at a hawker centre and this ah pek cleaner was literally loitering or 'camping' near my table, watching and waiting for me to finish my meal.
There was a hungry look in his eyes, and that hunger wasn't about the food I was eating.
Many are just waiting for the opportunity to address you as "uncle". There is immense satisfaction when addressing someone younger and more educated than you as uncle. They get a great kick from creating a level playing field for themselves. It no longer matters if you are a mathematics professor or heart surgeon. You are uncle, same as the cleaners and durian sellers.