And not some memorized, pre-fab joke. Anyone can do that.
Awhile back, Chip told me the word for “trouble”: maa-fan. I hear it quite a bit at work. When I do, I think, “Oh lord… clients.”
I know the phrase “how do you say (this in Canto)” from my trusty podcast (“dim gong ahh,” and then you point to the thing.)
We were playing the “dim gong ahh” game at lunch – as I pointed to the fork, the plate, my sweater, etc. the girls would tell me the Canto words. Then I pointed at Elaine. “dim gong ahhh”. There was a pause and I suddenly remembered “maa-fan!”
So in Chinese, Elaine is maa-fan.
I’ll be here all week. Please tip your waitstaff.
O hi, Asia! 