Garbanzo ochokochoi

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.

Gaijinian · Jul 24, 2006, 23:40

That gave me a good laugh this morning.

madyf · Jul 25, 2006, 08:12

Originally Posted by Taiko666

「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 open wide in astonishment, she clapped her hands to her cheeks, then actuallly ran away.

i can imagine when someone was being asked about her nipple..

very good experience..thank for sharing it..

changedonrequest · Jul 25, 2006, 08:28

That gave me a good laugh this morning.

Me too!

nurizeko · Jul 25, 2006, 21:30

Haha! cool little story.

jessechadwick · Jul 29, 2006, 17:04

Clever! I had the same experience when I just arrived in Japan. I had a few drinks and started talking to a young guy about a girl I left at home. He sighed and after my story he said "あぁーそう..." Being new to Japan and not knowing a thing I thought he implied that I wasnt the nicest guy and I got a little angry. After a standing up he corrected me and we continued having a good time. Nice guy, silly misunderstanding.

squiggle · Aug 23, 2006, 16:26

Soooo funny!!!! I also had a funny experience the first time I went my husbands parents house for dinner and the first time I had met them.
My Japanese is poor and I made two really bad mistakes that night!
When asked by his mother what food we ate instead of rice in Australia I replied
Inmo tabemasu ( we eat pubic hair )
instead of
Imo tabemasu.......( we eat potatoes )
Luckily she thought it was hilariously funny.............
The next question was what Japanese food had I tried lately.
I replied by saying
Kino unko tabemashita ( yesterday I ate poo)
I should have said
Kino anko tabemashita
I will never live it down and am constantly ribbed about it. I so glad they have a sense of humor!!!!!
Mistakes are funny.....and very good lessons to learn from!

Jul 24, 2006, 23:19	#1
Taiko666 Regular Member Join Date: May 8, 2006 Location: Tokyo Age: 44 Posts: 317	Garbanzo ochokochoi 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. Last edited by Taiko666; Jul 25, 2006 at 12:20.*

Jul 24, 2006, 23:40	#2
Gaijinian Regular Member Join Date: Jun 3, 2005 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 466	That gave me a good laugh this morning. __________________ これからも絶対頑張る～

Jul 25, 2006, 08:12	#3
madyf Junior Member Join Date: Jul 22, 2006 Age: 23 Posts: 18	Originally Posted by Taiko666 「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 open wide in astonishment, she clapped her hands to her cheeks, then actuallly ran away. i can imagine when someone was being asked about her nipple.. very good experience..thank for sharing it..

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Jul 25, 2006, 08:28	#4
changedonrequest Banned Join Date: Feb 5, 2006 Posts: 585	That gave me a good laugh this morning. Me too!

Jul 25, 2006, 21:30	#5
nurizeko tsuyaku o tsukete kudasai Join Date: Jan 19, 2005 Location: aberdeen, scotland Age: 24 Posts: 1,334	Haha! cool little story.

Jul 29, 2006, 17:04	#6
jessechadwick Junior Member Join Date: Jul 29, 2006 Posts: 6	Clever! I had the same experience when I just arrived in Japan. I had a few drinks and started talking to a young guy about a girl I left at home. He sighed and after my story he said "あぁーそう..." Being new to Japan and not knowing a thing I thought he implied that I wasnt the nicest guy and I got a little angry. After a standing up he corrected me and we continued having a good time. Nice guy, silly misunderstanding.

Aug 23, 2006, 16:26	#7
squiggle Junior Member Join Date: Aug 4, 2006 Location: Chiba, Japan Age: 33 Posts: 16	Soooo funny!!!! I also had a funny experience the first time I went my husbands parents house for dinner and the first time I had met them. My Japanese is poor and I made two really bad mistakes that night! When asked by his mother what food we ate instead of rice in Australia I replied Inmo tabemasu ( we eat pubic hair ) instead of Imo tabemasu.......( we eat potatoes ) Luckily she thought it was hilariously funny............. The next question was what Japanese food had I tried lately. I replied by saying Kino unko tabemashita ( yesterday I ate poo) I should have said Kino anko tabemashita I will never live it down and am constantly ribbed about it. I so glad they have a sense of humor!!!!! Mistakes are funny.....and very good lessons to learn from!