It’s no big secret that I don’t sound like most Irish people. When I open my mouth I can see new acquaintances trying to figure it out. So far I’ve become a veritable UN of guesses. Australian? American? Canadian? Polish? Latvian? Lithuanian? Irish emigrant? British but grew up abroad? Oh the webs I could weave if I so chose.
Today the woman who couldn’t figure it out was hilarious. Not only did she tell me she thought that I was American – “but not like those accents you hear on Prison Break, or those accents on the Sopranos, or those accents on The Family Guy” – but she really wanted to know about stuff like high school football, Homecoming and Prom. I felt like I was a huge disappointment when I had to tell her that I had no experience with most of that stuff. But she wasn’t about to let it go that easily. “What about sock hops?” she asked, “And soda fountains?”
Honestly, my mouth dropped open. I guess I not only look like I’m tired, but that I’m about 75 as well.
This past weekend I had a gentleman ask me where from the North am I from? I thought he meant north eastern US, so I answered “New Jersey”. He looked at me funny for a moment and replied, “I thought it was Belfast.”
That’s hilarious! One of my old managers in the US was brand new to the states and was desperate to find a soda fountain, too! He kept asking me to take him to a place where they serve “Sodi-pop.”
Once I took him somewhere where they made root beer floats. The guy was in heaven. Later he confessed he had been a huge Archie comics fan.
For a minute there I thought you had reinstated “Take a Guess Tuesday”! That is pretty funny, though.
I guess these are the people that eat at Eddie Rocket’s all the time, thus there always being a line! I’m surprised every time I visit at how packed it is.
Sock hops? ha ha!
That’s just like some people thinking that all Canadians wear parkas all year long and sleep in igloos. We don’t, by the way.
I didn’t know what soda fountains were until I was 15 when my grandma told me!
Liz – That’s so awesome. Now you have to start saying “Aye” and “Daddy” all the time.
Martha – What is it about soda fountains?!
Laura – I never thought of that! I’ll have to consider it…
Megan – Me too. And they don’t even do singing or dancing there!
Jenny – Darn! Because if there’s one thing I’d like to see it’s a nation full of igloos and parkas.
Julie – I don’t know that I’ve ever seen one. I doubt I’d be a big fan though, because all of those ice cream and soda combos kind of gross me out.