THIS ISN'T THERE

For what it's worth, I love the cash register person at Walgreens today. Who kept insisting to the elderly Mainland or Taiwan Karens that she did NOT speak Mandarin. They had so many questions and would not use their English. "No, it's NOT half off, it's TWO for one. You buy one, you get one free." As well as "that's if you want to donate something, no, and that's asking for your telephone number, also no".

And "I don't speak Mandarin, ngo m-sik gong gwok-yü (我唔識講國語)!"

The transaction took longer than it should have, given that it was abundantly clear that she did not speak Mandarin, and they stubbornly refused to acknowledge that.
Silly girl, OF COURSE she speaks Mandarin, she's Chinese!

When it was my turn she immediately asked whether I wanted a bag after I put my purchases down on the counter. We conversed in Cantonese, and when I informed her that I also did not speak Mandarin she burst out laughing.

Best part of the afternoon.


Es ist ja doch Tschainataun, sprechst du Kantonesisch?


Chocolates, shampoo and bath soap: 朱古力、洗頭水跟肥皂 ('jyu gu lik, sai tau seui, gan fei jou')。 I am snarky but clean. And full of beans. Also full of fish and rice and hot sauce and milk tea. Because that's what I do on Wednesday.

What I also do is enjoy a good smoke afterwards, in addition to getting rained upon because the rest of the country bless their damned hearts doesn't believe climate change is real and happening, and instead of the beginning of the burning season we're getting the last weeks of winter here in the Bay Area, they probably brought their ghastly home town weather with them on vacation nakende nondeju gatsamme toch (ideomatic translation rather unprintable) and it's so crikey cold and dark there with only tater tot hotdish to eat, tater tot hotdish and imported honey ... Strewth!

You know, I need to have some words with you lot.
Do you understand Cantonese?
Good!



Both Sun Yatsen and Chiang Kaishek actually spoke Cantonese.
Perhaps you snooty northerners should learn it.



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