I went to the dry cleaners today to pick up a dress. I knew exactly where to find the ticket: safe at home next to the telephone. No problem -- give them your phone number and they look up your account.
The lady (Chinese, by the way) handed me the dress with a smile, and said: "No ticky no washy." Then she grinned and said: "You ever hear that saying? 'No ticky no washy?' My husband is Chinese and he's from New York and many dry cleaners in New York are owned by Chinese people. He told me a long time ago they used to say that if you didn't have your ticket."
I just gaped at her, terrified that my ADD-rooted inability to read social signals scuttled my chance of responding appropriately. Of course I'd heard "no ticky no washy" before; my grandmother used to joke about it. But how was I supposed to respond? Was it okay for her to talk about it but not me? Could I laugh with her? Should I admit to having heard the phrase before? If I joked about it would I be seen as whatever the anti-Chinese version of anti-Semite is?
I took a prolonged mental pause and then told her I'd hoped she'd give me the laundry if I just gave her my most winning smile.
What would you have said?
