Those heading to Asia had better brush up on some karaoke faves.

She’s got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I’d stare too long
I’d probably break down and cry
– Lyrics from Sweet Child o Mine, Guns N’ Roses

Here’s a question — you’re an expat out with your new Asian colleagues for a night of karaoke, and you’re presented with a lineup of ladies. What do you do? Well, according to the WSJ, don’t worry your pretty balding head — they’re just karaoke hostesses.

Meanwhile some commentors on the article advise that you better run, Run So Far Away. Otherwise, you might find yourself caught in a situation where you have to Walk Like an Egyptian.

As the commentors note, there are other reasons (i.e. blackmail) that you don’t want to get yourself in a sticky situation. We’d like to hear from our readers working in Asia about whether they’ve found themselves faced with this choice and how they responded.

Now at this point we should probably mention that there are similar drinking/karaoke establishments in New York. As for whether they are just bars with hostesses or actually brothels, we couldn’t say. But — a small population aside — frequenting these places is also not exactly part of doing business here.

Back to the main concern — to sing or not to sing? Chances are, if you’re meeting someone for dinner, there’s a good chance that there’ll be some entertaining afterwards. At that point you should start going over the chorus to your karaoke standby. As one businessman explains, “When we do business in New York, we arrange a meeting, we speak to each other, we say our terms and conditions, we shake a hand and we sign our deal … [But in China,] you don’t just sit down and say ‘I’m looking for this product at this price.’ The manufacturer wants to get to know a person and get to know what you’re like. One way to do it is when you go to a bar and you have drinks and you sing.”

As for which song to sing, we assume something recognizable would be a better choice. That means a big fat “no” to Bjork.

On our karaoke standbys: (WARNING! we advise you to come up with a list of your own)
Brown Eyed Girl
My Perogative
You’re the Inspiration
Creep