Yankees also have to learn new storekeeper etiquette-- not asking, for example, "How much is this T-shirt?" but rather, "How much this T-shirt is?-- "if you want to appear a local. Yankees should learn the concept of "lagniappe-- "an extra bonus gift that a storekeeper might tuck into your bag after you bought something-- for which a thank you is expected.
As a Yankee, my lowest moment in confronting the language barrier came when I was working in a New Orleans office with other women. At lunch time, one of the women asked me if I wanted a bald egg. I turned this over and over in my head. Some kind of novel New Orleans recipe or delicacy? Like a roux? Something I need to learn if I wanted to be a true local? Only after I left the office for the day, did I realize she was saying, "boiled egg."
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