Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
Dec 31st 2006, 6:33 am
#16
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Joined: Nov 2006
Location: oregon
Posts: 63
Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
I used to work for a bookstore answering the phone and taking orders for books. I had many a funny conversation. One guy got all excited when he heard my accent and said that his favourite place in britain was the Isle of Man.
" d'you know what language they speak on the Isle of Man?" he asked. " Er.. no" I answered. " Yiddish!" he announced. " thats amazing" I said, diplomatically.
" d'you know what language they speak on the Isle of Man?" he asked. " Er.. no" I answered. " Yiddish!" he announced. " thats amazing" I said, diplomatically.
Dec 31st 2006, 6:38 am
#17
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Location: oregon
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Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
But, y'know, I was hitching in the west of Ireland a few years ago and I got picked up by a sweet old guy who had St Christophers and Prayers for the Traveller plastered all over his dashboard, never drove above 15 miles an hour. When I told him I was from Wales he said enthusiastically " ah, sure now, Wales is a beautiful place, just up north of Scotland there somewhere, eh?"
Dec 31st 2006, 4:31 pm
#18
I'm back!
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Richmond, VA, USA
Posts: 4,316
Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
This reminded me of something I read about on an expat website years ago when I was living in Chile. An American guy was living in Japan as an English teacher, and his mother was super terrified that something bad was going to happen to him. Every time she mailed him a letter, she included one or two news clippings about something bad that had happened in Japan -- an earthquake, criminal activity, someone's death, etc. It didn't matter if these things happened near him -- if they happened in Japan, she sent it. His constant protestations that everything was alright fell on deaf ears, and after a few months of this he grew tired of it.
So he decided to turn the tables. One month when he sent a letter back to her, he included a dozen or so clippings from the English-language newspapers about all the horrible things going on in the United States. Articles about school rampages, mothers killing their children, corporate fraud, drive-by shootings, massive floods, out-of-control wildfires, you name it. He then said in his letter that after reading all of these articles, he was afraid to return to the US when his teaching stint was over.
She got the hint and stopped sending the articles.
~ Jenney
So he decided to turn the tables. One month when he sent a letter back to her, he included a dozen or so clippings from the English-language newspapers about all the horrible things going on in the United States. Articles about school rampages, mothers killing their children, corporate fraud, drive-by shootings, massive floods, out-of-control wildfires, you name it. He then said in his letter that after reading all of these articles, he was afraid to return to the US when his teaching stint was over.
She got the hint and stopped sending the articles.
~ Jenney
Dec 31st 2006, 6:19 pm
#19
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: Dubuque, Iowa, USA
Posts: 3,770
Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
Dumb Question No.1:
So, you're from Liverpool........did you know any of the Beatles????
Answer:
Unfortunately, no......did you know Elvis Presley????
Jim.
So, you're from Liverpool........did you know any of the Beatles????
Answer:
Unfortunately, no......did you know Elvis Presley????
Jim.
Dec 31st 2006, 6:24 pm
#20
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Joined: Jan 2006
Location: Dubuque, Iowa, USA
Posts: 3,770
Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
[QUOTE=elfman;4237104]Don't want to sound rude and unwelcoming here, but we've had easily several dozen threads on this subject and I'm not the only one who's starting to get a bit tired of them. They tend to piss off the American members of this board and in my experience they're not representative of the American people I meet on a day to day basis. /QUOTE]
Perhaps it's just me, but, I thought this Website was called BRITISH EXPATS
Jim
Perhaps it's just me, but, I thought this Website was called BRITISH EXPATS
Jim
Dec 31st 2006, 7:19 pm
#21
Account Closed
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 6,196
Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
I was just reading through the tread about the US and UK's 'Special Relationship' and found myself laughing aloud at some of the responses, so continui............................that 'I shouldn't be embassed' that he couldn't understand me 'It'll Come' - that was after I'd told him 3 or 4 times that I grew up in London
I once told someone I was from England and the question came back:
"Oh, were you a serf?"
NB: This was in California.....
Dec 31st 2006, 8:04 pm
#22
No income tax no V.A.T.
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: Hookey St. Peckham
Posts: 548
Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
The fact that we're part of BE's furniture doesn't give us the right to slag off newbies. If you're a member of BE long enough you will always see the same kind of threads appear, posted by newbies. It's inevitable. If you don't like threads like this one, don't read them. Simple as that.
Neither you nor I have the right to condemn a newbie for his effort to have some fun. When you and I were newbies we found threads like these funny, now don't deny the newbies from a couple of years later that same fun.
Neither you nor I have the right to condemn a newbie for his effort to have some fun. When you and I were newbies we found threads like these funny, now don't deny the newbies from a couple of years later that same fun.
Quite frankly, if people come on here and take it seriously, then they will get bored and often offended.
P.S. Where's the bloody spell check gone
Dec 31st 2006, 8:19 pm
#23
Boomshacalaca!!
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: South of the North Pole.......Colorado
Posts: 5,066
Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
Do you have central heating in England? (We huddle with the farm animals in winter to stay warm)
Do you guys celebrate Christmas? we used to but parliament passed a law last year banning it so I'm afraid there is no more christmas in England.. no one knows for sure what is going to happen this year.
Is there color television where you come from? depending on my mood: In colorado, we do have colour television. Our neighbours do, I've seen it from time to time, ofcourse, they are not as fancy as what you have over here though.
"If it weren't for us, you'd be speaking german" Maybe so, but if it weren't for us, you'd wouldn't be here in the first place! (not entirely true, but its enough to shut them up)
"We kicked your butts." We weren't even trying.
Still, we aren't entirely off the hook. When back in the UK, I have been asked stupid things too.
So, you live in Colorado, why is Denver called the Mile High City?
Is the snow real in Colorado?
California is near New York isn't it?
My favorite - Do you ever get asked stupid questions?
Do you guys celebrate Christmas? we used to but parliament passed a law last year banning it so I'm afraid there is no more christmas in England.. no one knows for sure what is going to happen this year.
Is there color television where you come from? depending on my mood: In colorado, we do have colour television. Our neighbours do, I've seen it from time to time, ofcourse, they are not as fancy as what you have over here though.
"If it weren't for us, you'd be speaking german" Maybe so, but if it weren't for us, you'd wouldn't be here in the first place! (not entirely true, but its enough to shut them up)
"We kicked your butts." We weren't even trying.
Still, we aren't entirely off the hook. When back in the UK, I have been asked stupid things too.
So, you live in Colorado, why is Denver called the Mile High City?
Is the snow real in Colorado?
California is near New York isn't it?
My favorite - Do you ever get asked stupid questions?
Last edited by Tarkak9; Dec 31st 2006 at 8:21 pm.
Jan 1st 2007, 11:46 am
#24
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 30,102
Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
My niece who works check-in at Gatwick, has been asked more than once "Where does the plane stop first?" by passengers looking at the destination board, assuming it worked like a bus.
Jan 1st 2007, 2:27 pm
#25
Maño-Americano
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: In the heart of the Ozarks
Posts: 10,216
Jan 1st 2007, 3:16 pm
#28
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: Reno Nevada
Posts: 15,917
Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
:scared: A Senior Memeber of the Chamber of Commerce came into my office the other day and asked me (How I kept a straight face is beyond me).
Man :I was thinking of taking the wife to the UK but she wants to go to London?
Me: So thats nice when are you going?
Man: Well I would really like to see the London as well but it would be a shame to miss the UK?????????????
Me: Sorry you lost me?
Man:I think it would be a long way to be stuck on an Island for so long and not get to see the rest of the UK.
:scared:
Rodney I agree where the heck is the spell check? I am in trouble without that.
Man :I was thinking of taking the wife to the UK but she wants to go to London?
Me: So thats nice when are you going?
Man: Well I would really like to see the London as well but it would be a shame to miss the UK?????????????
Me: Sorry you lost me?
Man:I think it would be a long way to be stuck on an Island for so long and not get to see the rest of the UK.
:scared:
Rodney I agree where the heck is the spell check? I am in trouble without that.
Jan 1st 2007, 3:24 pm
#29
Account Closed
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 6,196
Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
In my last job the German secretary told me she thought I sounded like the talking Gecko on the Geico adverts.......
I told her she sounded like an excerpt from the Nuremburg rallies.
Our working relationship was never quite the same again.....
I told her she sounded like an excerpt from the Nuremburg rallies.
Our working relationship was never quite the same again.....
Jan 1st 2007, 6:39 pm
#30
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: TN
Posts: 1,759
Re: Funniest / Most Ridiculous Questions You've Ever Been Asked?
Don't want to sound rude and unwelcoming here, but we've had easily several dozen threads on this subject and I'm not the only one who's starting to get a bit tired of them. They tend to piss off the American members of this board and in my experience they're not representative of the American people I meet on a day to day basis. Perhaps it's because I live in the apparently liberal/secular/book-reading New York area and not Hogbutt Tennessee, but I just don't meet many dim Americans.
Yes there are obviously Americans out there who ask dumb questions and appear to be less than well-versed in world geography/history/culture, but this phenomenon is not confined to the USA. When I worked as a tour guide at the Intrepid Museum in New York I got asked daft questions on a daily basis, and they were pretty evenly distibuted among Yanks and non-Yanks.
Also I remember back in the UK a mate of mine had a girlfriend (who was training to be a teacher) who thought Wales was an island and could not pin down the start or finish dates of World War two to within two decades.
Yes there are obviously Americans out there who ask dumb questions and appear to be less than well-versed in world geography/history/culture, but this phenomenon is not confined to the USA. When I worked as a tour guide at the Intrepid Museum in New York I got asked daft questions on a daily basis, and they were pretty evenly distibuted among Yanks and non-Yanks.
Also I remember back in the UK a mate of mine had a girlfriend (who was training to be a teacher) who thought Wales was an island and could not pin down the start or finish dates of World War two to within two decades.
oh, and the funniest thing i heard a bird say recently was whilst watching the ashes, she asked how the teams could tell each other apart as they were all wearing the same kit