A casual common greeting among Aussies is "How ya going?" although "How are you today?" is heard often as well.
The other day in the grocery store the cashier greeted the woman in line in front of me with "How ya going?" and greeted me with "How are you today?". It made me wonder if she used one for Aussies and the other for Americans. Which made me wonder if she could tell from looking at me that I was American. (There are enough of us around town that it wouldn't be a bad assumption to make if she could tell I wasn't Australian.)
I asked another American at a party Saturday night (hosted by one of Ken's co-workers) if he could tell if someone was Aussie or American just by looking. (I can't.) He is a father of several young children and currently in a "house husband" role with his wife working at the Base. His observation was that American parents seemed more protective of their children, always shepherding them closely and keeping a careful watch on them at all times, while the locals seemed more relaxed about their kids.
So yesterday when I was in line at K-Mart and was asked "How are you today?" I inquired if she had known I was American. She said, "No, not until you spoke."
Well, so how *am* I going? Today I seem to have a mild head cold and am feeling a bit lonely.
How ya going? Anyone out there?
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Sorry to hear about the head cold. Hope it clears up quickly. When it does so will your mood, most likely. That's what I've found with my surgery. As I've gained energy, I've gained attitude. Am almost up to full speed - it's Sunday night as I write this and I head back for my first day of work tomorrow after 6 weeks off. Bound to be a bit of a culture shock. I might prefer AU and a head cold :-). Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI can't necessarily tell someone is American just by looking at them - it depends how they are dressed. Did you smile? Americans generally have better (or at least whiter) teeth.
ReplyDeleteSorry you are feeling low. Have you got plans for Australia Day tomorrow? I hope someone's invited you to a BBQ.
Actually, thinking about this more, it may just have been that the checkout person knew the person in front of you - at least by sight, even if not by name. That could explain the more casual greeting.
ReplyDeleteMy cold is better this morning so it was a quick mild one. Or maybe some pollen reaction?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts on the greeting, Vireya. That makes sense (your second post, that is; I doubt she'd seen my teeth which aren't all that white anyway...)