LANGUAGE BOMB COCKTAILS

It always amazes me when people understand my Mandarin, because there is nothing worse in this world than hearing Americans trying to speak the common tongue. Well, perhaps other than when they attempt to speak Dutch (the uncommon tongue). And, because the waitress initially did not understand me when I said 一位，呢度食 ('yat wai, ni dou sik'; "one person, here eating"), I switched languages, and ordered like a Northerner. Then I heard her speaking Cantonese a little bit later, and we continued from there.

水餃、河粉。

I ordered shrimp and pork water dumplings with rice flour noodles in broth. The dumplings also contained chopped black mushroom for extra umami. It was good, very good. It being a very warm day I needed something light for lunch, with extra liquid for hydration. Last week it was Wisconsin Winter Weather in the city, today felt like somewhere on the Costa Del Sol. With tourists. I've heard lots of German recently, and there was a Dutch couple where I ate. They switched to Cantonese (their mother tongue) when speaking to the waitress.
I wished I had sat closer to them, because I like listening in.

Afterwards, in a quiet spot down a shady alley, smoking my pipe (a GBD shape 2006 bulldog, Pedigree 1), I was joined by a Vietnamese Chinese gentleman, and we had a very pleasant conversation about crime, street people, crazy folks, garbage, and drug use near the BART stations. As well as Dannau Chump. Of whom he seemed to approve. You make trouble, you get sent back. I'm kind of used to Viet exiles of a certain age being fans of our dictator.
So I continued chatting with him in a friendly fashion.


Very many Christians and older Vietnamese believe that Dannau Chump is the anointed one, mistaking speaking in tongues and uttering nonsense for divine inspiration and possession by the holy ghost.

We also talked about street food, grilled pork in particular, and one measly bowl of rice per day in Vietnamese prisons. Plus hard labour.


It always amazes me when I'm a good conversationalist.
Because that really isn't one of my talents.



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