Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady (Part 12)
By Emily Ho
Editor’s Note: The author runs an ice-cream parlor on Hong Kong’s Lamma Island. When time allows, she draws caricatures and writes. The following are semi-autobiographical anecdotes blending fact and fiction.
First Confrontation
Emily never likes confrontation and prefers to avoid it. But if you think she’ll tolerate confrontational behavior, you’re wrong.
As Emily clearly remembers, her first confrontation on Lamma was rather inevitable. Some people were so powerful that even the local police dared not act against them.
In early summer, Emily received a sales call offering everything from cleaning services to air-conditioner repairs. Her shop’s air-conditioner was a used one that may have needed cleaning so she responded favorably.
Later, a local man arrived and told Emily about the terms and charges, on which they agreed. As someone who prefers to trust others, she left the shop and a can of soda to the man who would work on the air-conditioner for her.
After an hour, Emily returned and was notified that the job was done. So she paid the man, who headed off to another task in the village. But within a few minutes, the air-conditioner stopped functioning.
Immediately, Emily called the man to return and check it again. Obviously, something had gone wrong with the cleaning because the machine worked smoothly before. But when the man returned, Emily heard a string of four-letter words about all the mothers in the world!
Infuriated by the man’s cursing, Emily yelled, “If you want to swear, then swear at me. Don’t ever swear at my mother! She doesn’t deserve this. Respect mothers, including your own.”
At that moment, a passing policeman entered the shop to investigate the raised voices. He jotted down ID details for Emily and the workman, then letting him go.
Before departing, the policeman whispered to Emily: “The guy you complained about belongs to one of the biggest clans here. You’d best keep quiet if you want to stay in business. That’s my advice to you.”
Foul Words as a Universal Language
Most people call music the universal language, but when music isn’t played (or is played without being noticed), foul language may take the title. In Hong Kong, especially on Lamma, it’s common to hear foul language.
Whether coming from Chinese or Westerners, foul language remains foul. The speakers want to emphasis their emotions or enrich their vocabularies when proper emotions and words aren’t “expressive” enough.
By day, it’s mostly the Chinese who speak in foul language as the bosses of Chaai Tsan Ten (Hong Kong-style cafes) cuss at their employees for being clumsy or stupid. At night, the Westerners take a turn when drinking in the bars or getting “high”.
Regardless of the “language” used, people easily sense the swear words because of the tone. It’s no wonder that what most foreigners in a new place learn first is the local foul language.
Although Emily grew up in a rough neighborhood, she dislikes foul language. She believes that feelings or ideas can be expressed freely in many better ways, such as by writing.
Coming soon:
Tiny Tot Hides Behind the Soap
(more Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady)
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