Saturday, April 29, 2017

Language Lessons


Timing same again, the ful chosen today en route somewhere through Seddon cycling over. Three days of noodle salads with spring rolls would have been overdoing it, the threat of msg added. (The nice smiley butterfly at Huong assured the Southern Viets used it sparingly; it was the Northerners who gave liberal lashings.) Prior to the plate being delivered we spied an Orthodox long-beard priest opposite in full-length dress doing some shopping. Plenty venerable. A kiss of his hand would bring you your dearest wish, advised Abdul Razak cheekily. Go quick, catch him while you can. Too late, chap was into his late model 4WD KIA and away. Nice motor; an appreciative flock. Egyptian or Greek was Abdul Razak's educated guess. Today Alex behind the counter was parading her Blogger tee again before a real, true blogger, one with a score of publications now across four continents. Do you think the lass gave a toss? Not blooming' likely. Of course she had no idea of the fuller import of the doing it better she was advertising and she couldn't be told. In Footscray over half the people on the street would remain blissfully ignorant. One of the chaps was attempting to teach Alex Tigrinya Thank you. Vastly difficult first hearing. Yakan belle. Another chap when he came in would regularly razz the lass, Why you crying Alex?... Again you crying.... Poor lass failing to turn on all the bulbs with these African smilers needed an uplift. Almost certainly none of the chaps from the Horn here would hit on Alex. For one thing among them there was almost no interest whatever in white, yellow or brown. Forget it. The uncovering alone was a major put-off. Somehow during her studies at the nearby university Gia Khanh Nhu Nguyen - called Na at home - had settled on 'Alex" as a handle in the new country. (The accent and intonation of course vastly difficult.)

NB. For Viet Thank you a fairly straightforward two-step that has delighted waitresses the length and breadth of Footscray: gam' er (hard "a" as in argue).

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