On Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 10:51 AM, Suresh Ramasubramanian
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Gautam John [29/08/08 14:02 +0530]:
>> Oota aithe? Thinde aithe? Coffee aithe? Nashta aithe? (Roughly
>> translated, eaten lunch/snack/breakfast, partaken in a cup of coffee?)
>> Is this common to other cultures too?
> very.
> tamil - "saaptacha?" chinese - "chifanle meiyou?" thai - "gin khao reung?"
I disagree. I can speak personally for the Tamil "saaptacha". As
others have pointed out, first of all, you do not ask strangers if
they have had their meals. When my parents have visitors at home, they
first welcome them, ask them to take a seat and *then* ask them if
they have had their meal. Depending on the answer, they decide what
sort of food or libations to offer to the guest - Meal, Snacks or
Coffee.
Getting to the OP, what is the appropriate response when a Kannadiga
asks this question? Should I be telling them the fact ("Yes, I have"
or "Not yet")? Or something socially polite ("Thanks to your
blessings, yes!")? And what is the appropriate followup comment if
someone replies that they have not had their meal yet? Should one tut
tut? Or offer them a meal? Or hem and haw?
Thaths
--
"I saw this in a movie about a bus that had to SPEED around a city, keeping
its SPEED over fifty, and if its SPEED dropped, it would explode. I think
it was called, 'The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down'." -- Homer J. Simpson
