I often head over to a friends apartment to, well you know, chew the fat, and I often take a taxi back to my apartment. In doing so sometimes I have the taxi guy trying to talk to me. Most of the time I can’t understand. Yes it’s Chinese, but more so because these guys are gnarly old timers with a hell of an accent. Think, gnared up old western Texas grandpa on Valium speaking English. That’s close. But tonight I actually had a conversation. I think. I strolled up to the cab with my usual swagger, you know the kind you have from just being bad ass all the time, and hopped in. I told him the district I live in and the street. He said ok. Then he asked me what country I was from. I told him I was American with a black belt in whooping Chinese ass. Ok maybe whooping Chinese ass was a little too much. He then proceeded to say something about how many of something. Then it hit me, he was asking me how long I had been in China. I told him 5 years and I was really slow at learning Chinese. No really I said four months. He complimented my speaking abilities, I wanted to compliment him on his fine selection of dash ornaments but lacked the words to do so. We then passed the prostitution street. It must had been happy hour because there were cars lined up all over. He said the Chinese word for young lady. Yeah dude, I got eyes too you know. However some of these “young ladies” seem a little too lady like. I’m betting they’re young guys. But right, thats neither here nor there. I told him that they don’t have those in America. No not the young ladies but the “working young ladies.” He rattled off something really fast and I tried to ignore it. Really I didn’t understand a bit. That didn’t work, so I had to tell him that I only understood a little. I then tried my best with the help of my phone to tell him that in America prostitution is illegal. He said that’s wasn’t good. I told him I agreed. I think we had a moment. He then said that it is all over in China. I told him I know and that it was great. I then told him to take a right and a left. He then told me 10 bucks.
Rad.