There's a Vietnamese saying that is... get this... in English and everyone seems to understand it!
"Same, same."
The first time I heard someone use this phrase I thought that it must be an English word which that particular Vietnamese person understood... but then I began hearing it more and more all over the city. Now I use it all the time - thankful that everyone understands it and, at the same time, continually surprised at how often it comes in handy.
When I go fabric shopping and I want to find some cotton like the top I have one, I just point to my shirt and say, "Same, same."
When I meet Sarah at a cafe and she orders a latte, I can simply say, "Same, same!"
When I ordered a banh mi with only egg and veggies... and wanted a 2nd one for later... "Same, same!"
WIN!
Then there is, what I like to call, the Vietnamese Shake.
This used to drive me crazy but now I've started taking advantage of it and using myself - the classic Vietnamese Shake... you hold up one or both of your hands and shake them (flicking your hands from side to side with your wrists).
The Vietnamese Shake can mean many things depending on the situation...
I don't know.
I do not understand.
Please go away.
That's not my job.
Etcetera...
It would be so frustrating (almost rude) when I would ask someone a question and they just looked at me and gave me the Vietnamese Shake... BUT now I've found how affective it can be. When I don't understand someone or I want a beggar to go away, I just hold up my hands, shake, and spew something in English at them... I'm beginning to understand why they use it. For the receiver of the shake, it is completely unhelpful and still quite frustrating... but the shake-er gets out of whatever it is they want to get out of.
Perrrfect.
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