Taxing, Vexing Taxis

As any newcomer to Hong Kong trying to get a handle on the local language can attest to, taxi drivers are excellent language teachers. At the same time, they can also get very angry if you try to address them in their own language.

What? Angry? Yes, it’s true. I’ve experienced it myself many times. I jump in a taxi: “銅鑼灣，宜家傢俬呀，唔該" (Tong Lo Wan, Yiga Gasi ah, m goi) (Causeway Bay, IKEA please)
Driver: “You mean is the Causee-wai Bay?”
Me: "我話銅鑼灣，宜家傢俬呀，唔該”
Driver: “You lo leed say the Cang Tong leesee! I can say the Ying Lishee!”

He acts as if I have hurt him deeply and personally. How dare I speak the local language in the town I have lived in for 26 years?

You know what they say: Life is too short. Whenever I encounter a taxi driver who gets really angry that I don’t speak to him in the tongue of a foreign country, I pretend not to speak English until he breaks down and speaks Cantonese. Or I just get out of the car. Okay, so that’s only happened twice. But both times the next taxi had a delightful driver who immediately started a discussion about how crap the Hong Kong Government is and how the British should come back. The discussions consisted of them talking and me nodding and going "係呀， 係呀, 啱啦!” (Hai ah hai ah, ahm la! (Sure, sure, you’re right!))

Yes, yes, in case you’re wondering, I paid the flag fall both times, although they strictly didn’t deserve it…
Don’t forget, you’re the customer! Don’t deal with people who don’t want to deal with you!

P.S.
You can now study Cantonese with me all over the world, using the wonderful technology of Skype.