Home Sweet Home
This actually happened.
I was enjoying a beer and my book at the tea shop, yes they serve alcohol at our coffee shop, and yes it's mostly a coffee shop even though it's called the tea shop. On second thought, I shouldn't have been surprised at the collection of clientele.
In any case, as I'm reading I can hear a couple behind me arguing and it dawns on me that I don't understand what they're saying. After a couple heartbeats I conclude it's French and turn the page.
A third man starts into the argument, in French, just as a family starts singing happy birthday in the large corner spot by the window. A couple more heartbeats and I realize that only half of them are singing happy birthday in English, the rest are making up their own rendition in a language I can't identify, maybe Chinese? I turn the page.
Just then I look up and see a guy walk into the tea shop with a skateboard and a man in a kilt. I stop turning pages and just take a moment.
I shake my head return to my book and think "only in America."
I was enjoying a beer and my book at the tea shop, yes they serve alcohol at our coffee shop, and yes it's mostly a coffee shop even though it's called the tea shop. On second thought, I shouldn't have been surprised at the collection of clientele.
In any case, as I'm reading I can hear a couple behind me arguing and it dawns on me that I don't understand what they're saying. After a couple heartbeats I conclude it's French and turn the page.
A third man starts into the argument, in French, just as a family starts singing happy birthday in the large corner spot by the window. A couple more heartbeats and I realize that only half of them are singing happy birthday in English, the rest are making up their own rendition in a language I can't identify, maybe Chinese? I turn the page.
Just then I look up and see a guy walk into the tea shop with a skateboard and a man in a kilt. I stop turning pages and just take a moment.
I shake my head return to my book and think "only in America."
posted by ldbug at Tuesday, March 27, 2007
10 Comments:
Well, you know, or Canada.
And probably more likely in Canada, in fact.
We recently were at a chinese buffet restaurant and saw two clowns chowing down!!
jay - true, and Canada or we could just say the Americas?
mrsmogul - ha! that would be interesting!!
Wow~ That's like some crazy dream or a day in NYC! LOL! All you needed was the Naked Cowboy...
And in London probably. Ah, melting posts. Don'cha just love 'em?
What jay said, and * too. I did a count the other day, and figured I had over 22 nationalities working for me. You got to love the melting pot.
rock - I still need to get to time's square and look for that guy...
* - I do, and it's even more fun when native dress (ie the kilt) are involved:-P
boy - I think it's even more interesting in NYC than in the other places I've lived. Most other places in the country are at least a generation removed. Here it's like it's all fresh, all the newbies coming in:-)
We have a cabinet minister who speaks in English and you need English subtitles to know what he is talking about.
bhale - well - Bengali
bhandring - wandering - Bengali
sope - shop - Gujrati
soo - shoe - gujrati
hishtyle - style - Nepali,Marathi
Gode - God - Keralite
Cundry - Country - Keralite
Hindernate - Internet - Keralite
Kaapee - Coffee - Tamilian
Taarchar - Torture - Tamilian
Aapees - office - Tamilian
Oepees - Office - karalite
haapish - office - Nepali,Marathi
These are just a few. English words are mixed with local languages and become Indian words
and English sounds like a different language.
I am so enjoying being in a bigger city/town - more culturally and ethnically diverse - makes life richer. Just so these interesting folks followed the immigration/visa/passport thing to get in or grew up here! I watched TV with angst as the Haitians who made it to our shore were somewhat manhandled and who will definitely be turned back - they should've gone to Mexico and walked across the border and assimilated! Anyway, therein lies controversy - I take leave.
rauf - it's interesting to see the evolution of languages
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