My (Italian) last name sounds exactly like a Cantonese insult.
I found that out in HS, when working in my friends family’s Chinese Restaurant. Dude was my best friend for like 2 years prior, 1st generation, raised bilingual and immersed in both cultures…would think he’d tell me before the cooks.
W/e at least I still got an envelope every Lunar New Year.
My (Italian) last name sounds exactly like a Cantonese insult.
I found that out in HS, when working in my friends family’s Chinese Restaurant. Dude was my best friend for like 2 years prior, 1st generation, raised bilingual and immersed in both cultures…would think he’d tell me before the cooks.
W/e at least I still got an envelope every Lunar New Year.
“It is like your name… Sykes. I’m sure it doesn’t bother you at all that it sounds like ‘ss’ai k’ss,’ two words in my language which mean ‘excrement’ and ‘cranium.’”
[beat]
“Shithead.”