YEAH MON!
I know, I’m
in Aruba, not Jamaica, but the friendliness of the inhabitants of this lovely
island reminds me of one of my son’s favorite stories.
I think I may
have already stolen this story from him in a previous post, but what is the
good of getting old if you can’t repeat yourself?
Years ago
while vacationing in Jamaica, my son and his friend were remarking on how
friendly all the Jamaicans were.
“Everywhere we go, we are greeted
with smiles and a friendly ‘Yeah Mon!’”
“I know, it is always
the same, ‘Yeah Mon…Yeah Mon’”
“It certainly sounds friendly, what
does it really mean?”
“Hell, for all we know it could just
be code for ‘Screw you asshole!’”
Unbeknownst to
my son and his friend, they were being followed by a Jamaican resort
worker. In response to the assertion
that “Yeah Mon” could just mean “Screw you asshole” the Jamaican replied
without missing a beat,
“Sometimes
Mon…sometimes!”
They are a happy lot. And why not? Cool shades, cool hats, cheap Red Stripe Beer....Yeah, Mon!
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Jamaica but I continue to hear good things about the island.
ReplyDeletei'm sure!
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is, "Yeah, Mon"!!
ReplyDeleteI have vacationed in both Jamaica and Aruba and the people in both places were kind. I did find the food better in Jamaica, though. And having been a tourist in the USA I hardly think I can point fingers at duplicitous language.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it's a state of mind. I was surprised to see my kids' doctor at a trivia night wearing a Jamaican beanie and fake braids.
ReplyDelete