Friday, June 29, 2018

The Waiter

給仕:"Hi, welcome to Applebees, are you ready to place your order?"
Cさん:「Yes.  Steak, please.」
給仕:"Excellent choice, that comes with soup or salad."
Cさん:「Salad.  But, please no ... scallion ball.」
給仕:"Of course, sir, no .. wait, what?"

Friday, June 22, 2018

ごはん

Cさん:「ごはん食べたの?」
Aさん:「ううん、ごはんを食べなかった。Cさんは?」
Cさん:「ごはん食べなかった。」
Zさん: “Wait... why are you guys talking about rice?”
Aさん:「No, you misunderstand. The word ごはん means both ‘meal’ and ‘rice’.  It’s because rice has been an important part of Japanese meals for a long time.」
Zさん: “Oh! I get it. So, the American equivalent would be ‘Have you eaten burger yet?’ ‘No. I haven’t eaten burger yet. Have you?’ “

ミスタースパーコル:「Mmm... ubiquitous dietary staples.」

Friday, June 15, 2018

Old Cat

Aさん:「So, yeah, my cat was very old, and she had cancer, and her life was miserable, so we decided to 安楽死 。」
Zさん:"... unlucky she indeed."
Aさん:「... Why is it that the brazenly inconsiderate mnemonic devices are the most effective?」

Friday, June 8, 2018

Two Sides

Zさん:”Being bilingual can be tricky.  For example, take the word カラオケ。If you pronounce it ‘kala-o-k’, Americans will think you are a pompous jerk.  If you pronounce it ‘Carry-Okee’ Japanese people will think you are an inarticulate clod.”
Aさん:「You can’t win, dude, just shut up and sing.」

Friday, June 1, 2018

The Poem

Bさん:「Did you get a chance to read my poem?」
Zさん:"Yes。。。 いいかんじ。"
Bさん:「Really? It gave you good feelings?」
Zさん:"...sure... the thought might have crossed my mind that you have exquisite Chinese character penmanship... but ... sure..."