Today I went to the Ukarumpa Kai Bar (a small store selling fast food) for lunch. They usually have chicken quarters, meat pies, sausage rolls, french fries, ice cream and soda.
When I got there, there didn't seem to be any chicken in the warmer, so I asked "Kakaruk i stap?" (Is there chicken?) and the man behind the counter answered "No." So I got a sausage roll and french fries.
While I was slathering BBQ sauce on my fries, I heard the person in line behind me ask "Nogat kakaruk, a?" (There isn't chicken, right?) to which the worker answered "Yes."
This might seem like a contradiction to us, but it's not - it's just a difference in the way people answer questions. When the worker said "yes" he was agreeing- "yes, you are correct - there is no chicken." But in our culture if we ask "There isn't chicken, right?" and get yes for an answer, we'd probably interpret it as "yes, there is chicken."
Confusing, huh!?
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2 comments:
Hi Sara,
When we are getting my meal and I ask for one of each maybe we will get both yes and no. They all sound good!
I know the lesson is on getting the right interpretation of the question but I'm focusing on the food.
Love you, Dad
Words are so interesting! I noticed that same yes/no thing in Zambia, too. Also, the phrase "that's okay." If I asked you, 'Do you want some salad?' and you said 'That's okay,' here, you don't want any...but in my African experience 'That's okay' meant it was okay - go for it. :) Thanks for sharing! Hope you are doing well.
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