Taiko666
Jul 24, 2006, 23:19
Hi - this is my first post, so before I get on with the main bit, here are a few details. I moved J-side from England in Jan 2004, working for a mobile phone company in Meguro. I live further out along the Chuo Line where almost nobody speaks English, so I've had to get my Japanese up to speed out of pure necessity (that was my intention :-)
Anyway, it was this determination to use the language that caused by first biggish gaff in Japan. You see, I love houmous... and even though I'd been in Tokyo for 3 months I just couldn't find any. DIY was obviously the answer, so I bought a food mixer, some lemon, some garlic and sesame paste... but where were the ?*?&? chick-peas? I checked the supermarket shelves for 30 mins, but the troublesome pulses refused to make themselves known to me. Right, it's time for some serious J-go activity I thought. I broke open my jisho, but (やっぱり) there was no entry for chick-pea. In these situations I usually just re-spell the English word in katakana in my head and see if my Japanese audience understands. So, smiling and doing my best to look non-scary, I politely asked a young female shop assistant 「すみません、 チックーピーがありません’か」 Her response was surprising... her eyes and mouth opened wide in astonishment, she clapped her hands to her cheeks, then actually ran away. A little taken aback, I phoned my Japanese teacher, who upon hearing my story burst into fits of giggles. Finally she managed to splutter the explanation - what I'd actually said sounded almost identical to "excuse me, do you happen to have any nipples?"
I suggest that if you can't find the chick-peas, ask for garbanzo beans (ガルバンゾ） - it causes a lot less hassle.
Anyway, it was this determination to use the language that caused by first biggish gaff in Japan. You see, I love houmous... and even though I'd been in Tokyo for 3 months I just couldn't find any. DIY was obviously the answer, so I bought a food mixer, some lemon, some garlic and sesame paste... but where were the ?*?&? chick-peas? I checked the supermarket shelves for 30 mins, but the troublesome pulses refused to make themselves known to me. Right, it's time for some serious J-go activity I thought. I broke open my jisho, but (やっぱり) there was no entry for chick-pea. In these situations I usually just re-spell the English word in katakana in my head and see if my Japanese audience understands. So, smiling and doing my best to look non-scary, I politely asked a young female shop assistant 「すみません、 チックーピーがありません’か」 Her response was surprising... her eyes and mouth opened wide in astonishment, she clapped her hands to her cheeks, then actually ran away. A little taken aback, I phoned my Japanese teacher, who upon hearing my story burst into fits of giggles. Finally she managed to splutter the explanation - what I'd actually said sounded almost identical to "excuse me, do you happen to have any nipples?"
I suggest that if you can't find the chick-peas, ask for garbanzo beans (ガルバンゾ） - it causes a lot less hassle.