Number one on our list of things we like about living in Beijing is what we've come to call Weird English (aka Chinglish). Weird English shows up in all places, so I've started carrying the digital camera whenever I go out. Devin and Merlin know to watch out for me dropping behind, muttering, "hold on, I've got to get a picture of this."Weird English is most prevalent on T-shirts. China would be a much more boring place if it weren't for T-shirts. I don't try to take pictures of people and their shirts, so along with the camera I also carry a little notepad and a pencil. I whip that thing out three or four times a day, scribbling logos and jargon as I walk. Some of the slogans are hilarious and some just downright perplexing. We've not yet figured out what to make of "D+GD+DG+G," for example, or "Drak Pop Kraboosh."
As for signs, I usually try to take pictures, but every once in a while I've not had the camera - so a few are also recorded in the notebook. The three most recently were "Fredjuice" on a menu billboard, under which was listed Strawberry, Orange and Apple. "Hotwind Life" was accompanied by an arrow, which if we'd followed it would have allowed us to know the secret meaning, but we were off in another direction and I didn't have a chance to ask Dan to figure out the Chinese version that was with it. Another, more philosophically, asked "Have you tried the new lifestyle?"It's endless amusement.
2 comments:
I remember living in Japan and seeing a movie theatre marquee translate "The Grapes of Wrath" as "Angry Raisins."
Oh that is SO funny!! I wonder if it would've become the classic it did if had really been titled "Angry Raisins." :-)
Post a Comment