Not your average Hunky Dory

There is this popular Malay saying, Masuk kandang kambing mengembek, masuk kandang kerbau menguak. For the benefit of my non-malay speaking readers(although I doubt there is any), it is similar to the English idiom, When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

So, mengembek I did, and have always been trying to understand the Irish culture so that in social situations, I wouldn't fool myself. There was this one time at work a long time ago, I emailed a colleague to get him to fix an error on a report for me. When it was done, he emailed me and he gave me a one word answer. Hunky Dory. All I had in mine, was ohh chips hunky dory, yumm.

(ps:orang Irish hari-hari makan Hunky Dory or crisps lain with their sandwiches.macam orang kelantan makan keropok.)

I didn't give a second thought, and I instantly replied, Hula Hoops!


Satisfied with my answer, I proceeded with my work and then when I met him at the kitchen, he asked me " What's Hula Hoops?". I said well, you said Hunky Dory, you know , Hula Hoops, Taytos, Hunky Dory. Then he just said "Ohhh.." and he just laughed. So I smiled.

It was only a few months later, that while I was talking to another Irish colleague, I found out that the meaning of Hunky Dory is actually "PERFECTLY SATISFACTORY OR FINE". I actually stopped him and asked, "What, Hunky Dory?" and then it hit me, Janey Mack! how stupid, how embarrassing !!!

As my second brother would suggest me to do in an embarrassing situation "Put your face in the Brahim's box".

ps-Janey Mack is an exclamation of surprise in Ireland.