Sunday, October 25, 2009

Spring Chicken

When I got in the taxi today and saw the golden chicken bouncing around on a spring, I couldn't help but wonder if it was part of some religious or superstitious belief. So, I asked the cabbie about it and he laughed and told me his nickname is "Gai", which means chicken. I should have guessed as many Thais have animal nicknames. Since I've been in Bangkok, I've known a few Birds, Cats, and Lions and I've met some people nicknamed Kratae (squirrel), Noo (mouse), and Mee (bear). As a corny joke, I said to the cabbie in my best rendition of Thai, "you're no spring chicken". But by the look on his face, he clearly didn't get it. Obviously, my stupid joke got completely lost in translation.