I stopped by a Chinese restaurant in the Big City in the middle of the afternoon. When I went in, there were no other customers there. They serve buffet lunch and buffet supper, and I was in between those, so I ordered stir fry vegetables and rice.

A young Chinese woman took my order, then she and and another employee started setting up the evening buffet. The cook, a middle aged Chinese woman, brought my food to me. She noticed my walking sticks hanging on the back of the chair and sat down at a table nearby and asked, pointing at me and rubbing her hip, she said "You hurt? What you take, eh?" I said a Tylenol once in a while.
She said "No No, use a da Been Gey. Her English was so bad she said it a couple more times before I realized she was saying 'Ben Gay.'"

She rubbed her right shoulder and said "Use a the Been Gey here, and exercise. No matter hut, exercise anyway!
In China, alla old peeple get togetter in pok and exercise. Old peeple, 80 year old, reach down and toucha toes!"
Then she told me most of her family had emigrated to Louisiana, and said "hava baby--docta put looong needa in back (she indicated a foot long) and no feel da baby come!" Not acupuncha eider!"

The she got up to leave and said "My name Su--you come back again, okay!" I told her my name was Sue too. After mutual smiles, I said okay and left. I was thinking, that's the first person other than myself who isn't afraid to start a conversation with anyone who's around. As I was going out the door, my young waitress said "That was my mother--and she loves to talk."

I'll go back one day, but between my English and hers, I'll just let her talk while I listen.

susil