Cute Poop

I’m really going to miss Ellen, my neighbor. She stays so busy with school that I don’t see her that often. But when I do we always have an entertaining conversation. She is pretty outgoing, is amused by "the foreigner" and is curious to learn more about our different cultures. Overall, she’s really fun, despite the fact that she tells me every time I see her that I should find a Chinese boyfriend, “wed him” and then make “very lovely and smart babies.” Oh Ellen, you have much to learn.

In our latest conversation I felt like I could have been in a sitcom. Among other things, we were talking about my Chinese name, Shi Meng Rui, and how she thinks my surname, or last name, Shi is not very pleasant sounding. “Really? Why is that?” I asked.

She proceeded to tell me that “shi” had a funny meaning. And then she drew a picture of “shi baba,” known more commonly to English speakers as poop. It was a little cartoonish pile of poop complete with a smiley face. She said “shi” by itself is still the poop, but not quite such a nice way to say it. She told me that Chinese children and young people love “shi baba.” It is “so lovely” she repeated over and over.

Side note: The Chinese love the phrase “so lovely.” It is the equivalent of girls calling everything cute. Actually the Chinese word they use is “ke ai,” which I learned as cute in my brief Chinese studies. Instead, Chinese people say “lovely.” “Your hair is so lovely.” “That stuffed animal is so lovely.” “That pile of cartoon poop is so lovely.” You get the picture.

So I try to explain to Ellen that in the U.S., this is not so “lovely” or cute. As I told her that poop and fecal matter, even in cartoon form, was not a source of “cuteness” in the U.S., her face fell in disappointment. Sorry Ellen. So then I get the bright idea to ask her if she knows the English word for “shi baba,” and with a straight face she replies “Sh*t.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Here was this sweet Chinese girl saying sh*t. Where did she learn this? Why of all words did she say this word? I quickly told her that she shouldn’t say that word around other English speakers, which she already seemed to know. Apparently she said she had heard it in American movies. “You know,” she says, “when the sh*t hits the fan.” Oh Ellen, you are priceless.

Aside from the foul language, I don’t really get what is so cute about “shi baba.” It is most definitely yet another cultural difference. And now I know that my surname, if said incorrectly, can mean poop – the real meaning is history. I can only imagine the jokes I would have endured in school if I had a last name that sounded similar to “poop.”