I was a little early for my class at the handicapped home, so I pulled over to get some vegetables at a road-side stall where you put your money in a lock-box and help yourself to produce. Another lady had also pulled over who, I supposed, was one of the people who sold vegetables there. In the car, I had had been listening to a history course where professor had just told the legend of how the the lone survivor of a French shipwreck during the Napoleonic wars was a monkey, dressed in a French military uniform (which apparently it was wearing to amuse the Frenchmen who kept it.) Scots took this monkey, and having never seen a Frenchman, having only heard that they were barbaric and spoke a strange, unintelligible tongue, after repeated questioning, decided that the monkey must be a French spy and summarily hanged it.
Still chuckling over that (while pitying the poor monkey), I got out and was greeted by giggles from the flustered woman. "Konichiwa," I greet. She continued to giggle nervously. My mind went to the French monkey. She blurted out, "I've never seen a gaijin in this area before!" I smiled and told her I live in a neighborhood not far away, then went about my business of choosing vegetables. After thinking a bit, the woman again approached me and said, "Oh, I'm sorry I was so rude to call you a 'gaijin.' I should have called you 'gaijin-san.' Would you like this daikon? And here, take these long onions." I offer to pay, but she would have none of it.
It was hard not to compare myself with that monkey. I had a much happier outcome, though.
You also spoke her language, unlike the monkey, which undoubtedly was his downfall. :)
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