I think I've mentioned it before, but I do speak a tiny bit of Chinese. It's usually just enough for me to pick out when people are talking about me, but unfortunately, that's not enough for me to really understand what people are saying. There's not enough context at that point for me to piece together what's being said. When people are talking about me, at least, I have the advantage of knowing the subject matter (read: me) better than anyone else. But other than that, it's very much a crap shoot.
Luckily for me, I grew up with my Chinese grandmother around, so I managed to pick up some of the various words that she would say to us. Most of that is what I consider "table talk" (think along the lines of "pass the salt"). However, there was one word that I learned to appreciate quite a bit: kwai. Now, that's my English bastardization of the Cantonese, so if you actually speak Chinese, that might sound weird to you. Regardless, that's roughly what it sounds like to me, so that's how I'm going to spell it. Still, it means something like being obedient, or a good kid. My grandma would say it to us when we did something praise-worthy, so it was one of those words that I actually learned.
Normally, that would just be an obscure bit of knowledge, and nothing more would have come from that little bit of trivia. However, the Mild Ex speaks Cantonese. And so do her parents.
We had agreed to go on a hike one day, and both she and her parents were around when I stopped by. Things had been pretty hectic for her, so she hadn't actually managed to eat breakfast yet. Since we were going to be on a fairly long hike, I insisted that she eat something before we leave. I've been in the position where not having breakfast has hurt, so I was speaking from experience. It was not something I wanted her to deal with.
Anyhow, I was chatting with the Mild Ex's mom as the Mild Ex ate breakfast. Her mom, being a mom, offered me some breakfast of my own. I'd already eaten, though, so I declined the offer. Trying to make conversation, I mentioned that I've grown into the habit of eating something before leaving the house. The Mild Ex chimed in that she normally just had something simple, and that she'd actually be okay with skipping breakfast that morning. I shot her a dirty look, and she insisted that she didn't want to have breakfast. At that point, that's when the Mild Ex's mom said, "that's because Sam is kwai-er than you" (read: Sam is more kwai than you).
Everyone involved immediately started laughing. The Mild Ex started laughing because of the Chinglish; not only was that a combination of English and Chinese, it was a unique combination of both languages in the same word to make up a new concept. The Mild Ex's mother was amused by her new invention, and I was amused that I understood that. Of all of the things that could have been said, she picked a specific subset that I happened to understand.
Still, I had to laugh just a little bit. I am kwai-er than someone else.
Luckily for me, I grew up with my Chinese grandmother around, so I managed to pick up some of the various words that she would say to us. Most of that is what I consider "table talk" (think along the lines of "pass the salt"). However, there was one word that I learned to appreciate quite a bit: kwai. Now, that's my English bastardization of the Cantonese, so if you actually speak Chinese, that might sound weird to you. Regardless, that's roughly what it sounds like to me, so that's how I'm going to spell it. Still, it means something like being obedient, or a good kid. My grandma would say it to us when we did something praise-worthy, so it was one of those words that I actually learned.
Normally, that would just be an obscure bit of knowledge, and nothing more would have come from that little bit of trivia. However, the Mild Ex speaks Cantonese. And so do her parents.
We had agreed to go on a hike one day, and both she and her parents were around when I stopped by. Things had been pretty hectic for her, so she hadn't actually managed to eat breakfast yet. Since we were going to be on a fairly long hike, I insisted that she eat something before we leave. I've been in the position where not having breakfast has hurt, so I was speaking from experience. It was not something I wanted her to deal with.
Anyhow, I was chatting with the Mild Ex's mom as the Mild Ex ate breakfast. Her mom, being a mom, offered me some breakfast of my own. I'd already eaten, though, so I declined the offer. Trying to make conversation, I mentioned that I've grown into the habit of eating something before leaving the house. The Mild Ex chimed in that she normally just had something simple, and that she'd actually be okay with skipping breakfast that morning. I shot her a dirty look, and she insisted that she didn't want to have breakfast. At that point, that's when the Mild Ex's mom said, "that's because Sam is kwai-er than you" (read: Sam is more kwai than you).
Everyone involved immediately started laughing. The Mild Ex started laughing because of the Chinglish; not only was that a combination of English and Chinese, it was a unique combination of both languages in the same word to make up a new concept. The Mild Ex's mother was amused by her new invention, and I was amused that I understood that. Of all of the things that could have been said, she picked a specific subset that I happened to understand.
Still, I had to laugh just a little bit. I am kwai-er than someone else.
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