Oct 12 2008
[You] go back to China
Before the concert at Carnegie Hall, I stopped by Trader Joe’s on 14th Street at 3rd Ave. I didn’t have much time having stopped at Veniero’s (14 numbers were waiting) too.
I have first shopped at Trader Joe’s was at Seattle, in a small shopping mall with plenty parking space. Never visited one in New York until few weeks ago, driving by their new wine shop. I liked various nuts and some unusual food/stuff. So I fed meter for half hour and went into the grocery part first. There was this guy holding this “Any number of items” sign by the entrance. I looked at it, thinking what was he doing there? Then suddenly a lighting bulb flushed up in my little mind.
“Is this the end of the check out line?”
He looked at me sympathetically, “yes, mama.”
So the check out line goes around the entire store. I fled.
The wine store is next door. Ten or so shoppers were waiting outside on line to just get in. Luckily, as I was debating if to wait, we were admitted. We were allowed to get in.
Inside it was not chaotic, rather calm and comfortable. But the check out line was long too, wrapping around half the shop. The end of the line was at the section of wine I came for. So I queued up the line as I was picking the wines. Then came this huge man. I first thought he might think that I was only shopping. So I said
“Excuse me sir, pls wait after me.”
There was a slight response.
Mute or deaf, already drunk or didn’t understand my Chinglish?
Annoyed, I tapped his shoulder, “sir, pls go wait behind me.”
“x#@* You go back to China.”
“Excuse me?” I raised my voice, “what a surprise you even knew there is a China.” Few people on the line chuckled. Two white young girls before me asked if I’d like to before them. I took it. My car has 30 minutes and I certainly didn’t want to stare at the back of this monster. Then I whip out my camera and snapped a picture of him. He tried to stop me, almost hit me. One of two white gay men in front of me in line said to him,
“You stop, you’re embarrassing me here.”
They too, offered me to get in front of them.
At the cash register, the clerk asked me what the commotion was all about. One of them bragged that when he went to him, “he became quite.” .. I failed to see that.
He was not a typical Noo Yawker I can assure you, the lowest low on the food chain or corporate ladder. Frustrated and loathful of others who wasn’t worth my ink nor time here. But it’s the rudeness and dumbness irated me and the stupid sentiment. The latest Wall Street or US’s financial crisis isn’t brought on by China, just like some one would have you to believe the manufacture sector’s woo is caused by China. Yundi Li was to perform in the prestigious Carnegie Hall that night and China is holding astronomical value of T-bills, telling Chinese to go back to China isn’t wise nor the solution. It’s global baby, like it or not.
When I started the engine, I was two minutes beyond.
