Online Conversation

My brother and I often chat via MSN Messenger. He put this edited conversation between us on his blog, so I figured I'd do the same here. I've started working in a charming, wee NZ bar and my brother asked me about the work. He's in italics:

The bar's good, tiring...but awesome meeting lotsa different people. Occasionally I feel like a decorative object.

Why decorative?

Owner: "This is Samantha. Look at how tall she is. Her hips come up to HERE on me.."
Customers: "She's cute! And such white teeth! And such a small face!"

You have a small face?

All foreigners do.

Ahh...

Including Japanese-looking ones like me too, apparently.

Not like the Fat-Faces of Japan?

I'm tempted to say that; but when I ask them what a "small face" is, the women start to go on about how large their face is. My friend C has an especially small face. There's a book called "You know you've been in Japan too long when..." and one of the things is: "When you look in the mirror one day and think: 'Oh my god, my face really IS small!'"

Do you think you have a small face? That's such a quirky thing to attribute to foreigners.

I have a face in proportion with the rest of my body. The Japanese theory is that a small face puts the rest of your body in proportion. The Japanese comment on the weirdest things.