While we were seated outside a restaurant tonight, someone yelled, “China!” I looked up, this guy in a suit and sunglasses (at 8 pm) said, “Niii haaau!!!!! Chinese?!!” Not wanting to go into how I’m ethnic Chinese, but not from China, I nodded.
Dude immediately started singing Teresa Teng’s “Ni wen wuo ai ni you duo shen, wo ai ni you ji fen…..” I wanted to throw my big Wiener Schnitzel at him, but it was too good to be wasted like that. He kept singing as he got himself seated at the table next to ours. His friend joined him, and they started speaking in Spanish.
Once the friend stopped talking he started singing that song again. Eager to stop him, because all the tables were looking at him and us, I quickly asked where he learned that song. “In Macau! You know Macau?!” I nodded. “Where are you from?!” “Malaysia.” “Apa khabar?!!!” Oh….my…..god…… “Khabar baik.” “Oooo…Cantik…Cantik…Cantik.”
More friends joined them, he told them he made a cantik friend from Malaysia and started singing again. We gathered that he currently lives in Macau, was originally from Mexico, and they all came to St. Goar, Germany from all over the world for auditions to be in an opera.
He spoiled one of my favorite songs for me, and I now hate empty flattery even more. Shut the f up, Dude. Just let me enjoy my big Wiener, or, more accurately, my big Wiener Schnitzel.
Ni hau – a Mandarin greeting Apa khabar – a Malay greeting Khabar baik- “doing well” in the Malay language Cantik – “beautiful” in the Malay language. Used in this context, this word becomes meaningless and annoying.
Here’s the song, but if you’re “CHINA!!!” you probably know it already.
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