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What is this Japanese greeting?

ezekieldas — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:04:17 -0800

In Japan, upon entering a shop or restaurant I was pelted with this greeting. This was over ten years ago. It remember it like "ashira - shy - ma - zay" My friend, and guide told me this was absolutely obligatory and a staff worker could be fired for not saying this. Where does this come from? There is a restaurant in my neighborhood (brooklyn) where the staff says this (or something, it happens quicly). It seems to be not just a greeting but an alert to other staff "there is a customer present!" What is the purpose? What does this mean most literally? Thank you!

I mustache you this question...

Ugh — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:38:30 -0800

If there was a greeting card with a fuzzy felt mustache on the outside, what would the inside say? I came across a huge lot of brown wool felt and decided to sew little mustaches that I attached to the front of blank greeting cards. Now i'm stumped wondering what, if any, text I should add either under the mustache or inside the card.

Mustache-O-Gram?
Everything's better with a mustache?

Any ideas?

Firefox says mustache is the correct spelling. I always thought it was moustache.

"Exchanging glances, wond'ring in the night...."

TheSecretDecoderRing — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:14:18 -0800

What do you do when you and someone you barely know are approaching each other? Always make eye contact and smile or say hi? Make eye contact and then keep walking? Keep walking unless they say something? Mentally scramble for small talk? Stop and tie your shoelaces? You know those situations when you're walking down an interminably long hallway at work, or a path on campus, and you see someone you only kind of know coming in the opposite direction from a mile away? Obviously it depends on how well you (don't) know them, but when the more awkward moments arise, do you invariably acknowledge them in a super-friendly way? Wait for them to say something first? Give a warm half-smile or a cool half-nod and keep on going? It feels like a silly predicament, but I'm just curious if others feel like this is half as awkward as I do, esp the more introverted among us, and among those, the ones for whom smiles don't always come all that easily. Because sometimes it's just... awkward!

I've seen a couple other threads here revolving around the dilemma of acknowledging complete strangers (and those may very well end up below this post), but I've never found that to be a source of anxiety or perplexity, because if you get rebuffed, you'll probably never see them again in your life. Crossing paths with that "Larry" guy from three cubicles over while you're on your way to the men's room? That's a different story.

Wondering Why My Cat Greets Me This Particular Way ...

WCityMike — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:25:53 -0800

Consistently, every single time I come home, my cat will come over to a particular corner of my desk -- I need not be sitting at it or indeed be anywhere near it -- and meow while faux-scratching it. He occasionally will stretch his back after the scratch, but not always. It's extremely cute, and he's such an affectionate cat that I'm even kind of touched by it. But I suppose I find myself curious as to what the gesture breaks down to. I'm assuming it's a greeting, since he repeats it without fail every time I come home after being out for more than a few minutes, but I suppose I'm curious as to what the action signifies. I doubt it's totally random, but I can't quite figure out what "animal world" thing he would be doing by that particular pattern.

You good!

strangeguitars — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:54:30 -0800

Are there any languages other than Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, etc.) that have a greeting that means "you (are) good"?

Good morning, plate of beans!

stinkycheese — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 10:17:37 -0800

(If you are male) Do women meet your gaze/say hello/acknowledge that you exist when you are out walking? This probably seems like a ridiculous question, but it's been bugging me for a long time. To explain, I moved to a small town (votes conservative, lots of farmers, about a 40 minute drive to Toronto) over five years ago now. I really like it here overall, but I can't help noticing that, when I walk downtown, whether night or day, whether the streets are near-empty or bustling, most women here do not in any way, shape or form acknowledge me.

Men will say "good morning" or "hi" or whatever, or at least nod their head - but most women suddenly find the sidewalk or the opposite side of the street very interesting, and studiously avoid my eyes. Aside from having sideburns to my jawline, I don't think I look at all unusual or threatening. I've also been living here long enough to be 'known' here (I also work downtown).

I'm just trying to get a sense of whether this is my own neurotic observation, or do women in small towns actually do this as a matter of course? Of course it's not all women, but I'd guess about 80-90%. And yes, I do say hello or try & engage people (it's a very friendly town overall & I love the way folks will generally greet each other).

FWIW this phenomenon isn't nearly so bad in my immediate neighbourhood, so it may just be a matter of familiarity. Still, I don't want to be an old man before I get a hello. I'm looking for any input here, from males or females.

Where can I buy cheap paper to make my own greeting cards?

moooshy — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:31:04 -0800

[Homemade Greeting Card Filter] I want to make greeting cards, for friends and family -- mainly for obscure holidays (and just to say hello!) But buying supplies at PaperSource is super expensive -- and stamps are not exactly cheap. Where do you buy specialty stock paper and other greeting card paraphernalia? [mi] I'm interested in cheap stock paper that might resemble the folded cards section on Paper Source. It's heavy, and bendable -- and comes in lots of colors.

I'd rather buy sheets of thick paper in different colors and cut them -- cheaper and more variety of shapes. Is there a place to bulk order paper?

Also, if you know of any cheap decorating tips or techniques for making really awesome greeting cards, please let me know. Specifically: stamps, glitter, beads, stickers, etc.

Please don't kiss me unless I'm in love with you.

Elmo Oxygen — Sat, 19 May 2007 00:44:43 -0800

Why do some Americans do the hello/goodbye kiss thing? I understand that Europeans do it because that's how it's done in Europe. But why do some Americans do it?

It makes me feel uncomfortable. I never know when to expect it. And I generally don't want to kiss most people.

If someone goes for the hello/goodbye kiss, is the only proper response a kiss back? Or can you just hug them and pretend they didn't go for the kiss?

Hey Rasta!

dead_ — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 11:18:20 -0800

People on the street always look at me and say, "Rasta!" I have dreadlocks. When I walk down the street during the day, it almost never fails that someone passing by will offhandedly remark "Rasta!" or "Eyy Rasta!" in my direction and make eye contact. Sometimes these people are white, sometimes black. They never actually stop and say anything, just always "Rasta!"

I always had assumed this simply came with the territory, and just responded with a polite "Hey," back to them, smiled, and moved on. However, after thinking about this a bit last week, I've realized that I've never actually been sure of the proper response, and I'm always left feeling somewhat silly when addressed by a stranger as "rasta," especially when you consider that I am not, in fact, Rastafarian.

So, how should I respond to these people, who often adopt pseudo-Jamaican accents when delivering their greeting to me? Should I just say "Hey"? Is there some more accepted return greeting that I am ignorant of? Is there something else I should say? Is this a stupid question? Any other general discussion of this phenomenon wouldn't hurt, either.

aiyah! need help prounouncing Chinese!

beammeup4 — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 15:58:43 -0800

Need help pronouncing some Cantonese (preferably audio) I'm Chinese, but pretty much as far from Chinese as you can get culturally. I'm too busy to learn any Chinese at all, but I'd like to know how you say and pronounce "Pleased to meet you" in Cantonese. I found out it is this: "Ho Ko Hing Ying Sic Lee", but of course, Canto has like 6 different tones, so I want to know how to pronounce it correctly, hence the need for audio.

It will be useful for me for, say, I meet my future significant other's parents whose native language is Cantonese, and I want to make a good, but totally false FIRST impression =)

Favorite ways to say "hello" and "bye"

Sharcho — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 09:00:04 -0800

What are some of your favorite ways to say "hello" and "bye"? (to greet friends that you already know, I'm not looking for pick-up lines)