Weird Things Americans Have Said To/Asked Me

[Flames9_RN 358]

Funny how the word "gitch" on the radio brings a smile to ones face,lol!

My only story is when i resided in Arlington in an Apartment and I was riding the elevator down with this older gentleman and I had my goalie gear with me, which included the stick and he asked where I was goinging camping!!

[SuperDuper! 230]

Xenophobia explains a lot of this. Its only natural to judge other cultures by our own worldview, and deem the foreign culture as weird, backwards, wrong, strange or different. Someone can always find reasons why one culture sucks over another.

Cheers!

Perhaps, but this thread is also about how Canadians secretly love our own stereotypes.

Exactly, so then you are talking Xenophilic

[Carlawarla 1]

See, down here, "toke" means something altogether different.....

I'd just call it a winter hat.

I know you have a dry sense of humour SonoranSongbird, but I'm trying to decipher if that's what you're using here.

It's not pronounced toke...it's toooooooooooooooooook

[Ban Hammer 13,283]

LEAST FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT AMERICA: No Tim Hortons, Fire ants. Whose brilliant idea was THAT?

hey! don't sell us short! we also have killer bees!

[trailmix 77]

This was just something the mortgage woman from RBC said to me the other day - which I still don't understand.

I was talking about putting a low offer in on a house - she said well how much are they asking - I told her and told her what our offer would be - she said, you know they won't accept that don't you? I said yes, but you have to start somewhere - she started laughing and said 'ohhhh you Canadians'.

Are we all just unafraid to offend sellers??

[LDora 7]

The first time I came down here to visit a few years ago, I asked a waitress (an older lady) where their washroom was.

"Our . . . what?"

"Your washroom."

"I'm sorry?"

" . . . you don't have a washroom?"

"I don't . . . think so?"

And then my husband pipes up: "She wants to know where your BATHroom is."

"OH. It's down the hall." And she looked at me like I was crazy.

[to_hope 0]

The first time I came down here to visit a few years ago, I asked a waitress (an older lady) where their washroom was.

"Our . . . what?"

"Your washroom."

"I'm sorry?"

" . . . you don't have a washroom?"

"I don't . . . think so?"

And then my husband pipes up: "She wants to know where your BATHroom is."

"OH. It's down the hall." And she looked at me like I was crazy.

I've done that too!

[JillA 2]

^^ Me too, but you'd think they'd figure it out. BathROOM, restROOM, washROOM, I don't think it would take a genius to figure out what we mean when we ask where the washROOM is.

[♥Stiggy♥ 0]

The first time I came down here to visit a few years ago, I asked a waitress (an older lady) where their washroom was.

"Our . . . what?"

"Your washroom."

"I'm sorry?"

" . . . you don't have a washroom?"

"I don't . . . think so?"

And then my husband pipes up: "She wants to know where your BATHroom is."

"OH. It's down the hall." And she looked at me like I was crazy.

My soon to be father in law makes fun of me all the time for that too

[Emancipation 2]

I love this thread.. great stories...

I went to starbucks a few weeks ago and plopped down a bunch of change on the counter and didn't know but there was a cariboo in the quarters.. the guy looked at me and said "well now... a little CDN funny money in this batch of coin here... don't worry, I'll take the coin and not make a great fuss about it"... he was implying that it wasn't currency and he'd out of the goodness of his heart take the coin.. ahhhh I thanked him ever so much.. (rolls eyes).. for taking my "fake" money..

[♥Stiggy♥ 0]

I love this thread.. great stories...

I went to starbucks a few weeks ago and plopped down a bunch of change on the counter and didn't know but there was a cariboo in the quarters.. the guy looked at me and said "well now... a little CDN funny money in this batch of coin here... don't worry, I'll take the coin and not make a great fuss about it"... he was implying that it wasn't currency and he'd out of the goodness of his heart take the coin.. ahhhh I thanked him ever so much.. (rolls eyes).. for taking my "fake" money..

LOL! I wonder how they'd react to seeing Canadian Tire money

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I love this thread.. great stories...

I went to starbucks a few weeks ago and plopped down a bunch of change on the counter and didn't know but there was a cariboo in the quarters.. the guy looked at me and said "well now... a little CDN funny money in this batch of coin here... don't worry, I'll take the coin and not make a great fuss about it"... he was implying that it wasn't currency and he'd out of the goodness of his heart take the coin.. ahhhh I thanked him ever so much.. (rolls eyes).. for taking my "fake" money..

LOL! I wonder how they'd react to seeing Canadian Tire money

I miss Cdn tire funny money - totally forgot about it. Once...I saved up enough to buy a whole set of dishesfor like $100 (yes, I know - do not make fun of me...I was young and thought it was fine to buy dishes at Crappy tire)

[The_Dude 1,142]

I love this thread.. great stories...

I went to starbucks a few weeks ago and plopped down a bunch of change on the counter and didn't know but there was a cariboo in the quarters.. the guy looked at me and said "well now... a little CDN funny money in this batch of coin here... don't worry, I'll take the coin and not make a great fuss about it"... he was implying that it wasn't currency and he'd out of the goodness of his heart take the coin.. ahhhh I thanked him ever so much.. (rolls eyes).. for taking my "fake" money..

Well, you did just give him $0.20 instead of $0.25

[SonoranSongbird 3]

It's not pronounced toke...it's toooooooooooooooooook

It's pronounced like tuque not toque?

Darn. It was funnier the other way (and yes, I am easily amused). "Tuke" doesn't mean anything else then.

My husband lived nearly his entire life in Canada, but was actually born in England, so some of the Brit expressions he picked up from his parents are REALLY colorful. On one of his last visits down here before we got his visa, it was really freaking ridiculously cold and he had no hat---no toque!!---or earmuffs so I gave him my YMCA card so he could go use the treadmill there while I was at work. He came back to my office to get me for lunch and told me "They gave me the bum's rush." There are two or three others, but that's the only one that comes to mind at the moment.

One of my best friends is married to an Australian, and THEIR expressions are REALLY strange. Arvo for afternoon? How do you get arvo from afternoon?!?!?!? Sunnies and cozzie and pissup make sense (if you are even slightly familiar with Aussie slang) but arvo boggles the mind.

Then again, Bostonians say "wicked" as an adverb. It's wicked cold out.

[sj5 4]

There are some idiot all over the places. Anyway, I get some ####### from my classmates.

"They said Philippines is a very poor country. Nothing good over there?"

Yes, it is undeveloped country but it has good and bad spots, and lack of resources. Did you visit any country before?

"No, I didn't travel outside America."

How many states did you visited?

"Only San Franciso."

SF is a states?

"Is there any rich people there?"

Yes, there are some rich and poor unlike here in US has middle class.

"My friend, I heard it's legal to have sex with 11 years old."

Who the F moron told you this? I'm going to break his skull.

"In fact, he is in Philippines. He told me about children there and he buys them."

What?! Can you tell me what's his name ?

"I can't."

Right, you can't.

"How dirty around there in Philippines?"

Some has gross spots but some very clean. We don't have trashcan anywhere. Here in US has trashcan anywhere but I still see trashes on some streets or/and around neighborhood.

First admission at school.

"Did you ever go to school in your country?"

I don't know. I probably did that's why I can read and write?

"Oh, why you here?"

This is my classroom. Are you my teacher?

"No, I enrolled in this class."How did you get in here?"

The door is OPEN so I walked in.

"No, I mean. I thought you are going to take nurse?"

Nurse? Where did you get this information?

"Because all Filipinos I met, are nurses."

You must spend your life at hospital?

"Yes, one of my child is ill."

That's why you see Filipino nurses. Try to go somewhere.

I think, I get more ####### than you Canadian people.

It's fun to be with idiot. It takes a lot of time to type some more. I gtg again. Have a good day everyone.

Edited March 27, 2009 by sj5