Thursday, January 23, 2014

Mandarin Tang

Attempting to make sense out of non-sense.

This morning when San Geraldo asked for his second cup of coffee, Tynan said, "Real men drink Tang." Don't ask me why. Sometimes (often), Tynan says things that make sense only to Tynan. Other times (even more often), the things Tynan says don't make sense even to Tynan.

San Geraldo doesn't always understand Tynan's English Midlands accent. So, on those rare occasions when Tynan actually does make sense, I usually have to translate for San Geraldo anyway. Today, when he looked to me for a translation, I repeated, "Real men drink Tang." San Geraldo raised his eyebrows and I said, "I have no idea."

When Tynan came by again, San Geraldo gave him the American perspective, saying, "We don't call it Mandarin Tang. We just call it Tang."

Tynan smiled, nodded his head in my direction as if to say, 'This one's yours,' and he continued on his way.

I looked deep into San Geraldo's eyes. I spoke slowly. I enunciated precisely. I explained, "He didn't say, 'Mandarin Tang.' He said, 'Real men drink Tang.'"


Interestingly — to me at least — I had no idea Tang came in "Mandarin Orange" flavor until I looked it up just now. Additionally interesting — to me at least — is the fact that San Geraldo didn't know that either.

Another thing I learned while "researching" this post: There's a restaurant in Pennsylvania named Mandarin Tang III, which indicates to me that there were, or are, Mandarin Tangs I and II. But I've been told they just call them all Tang.

My brain hurts...

24 comments:

  1. Did you mean the Tang Dynasty 618 to 907 AD. Mandarin being ministers working for the Emperor.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Real Mandarin Tang."

    That's what I heard, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bob:
      You WOULD understand. You've had too many years of these kinds of conversations.

      Delete
  3. Has San Geraldo ever been diagnosed with ADD? Just asking. I worked for so long with so many kids who had this and who were always preoccupied on everything and anything else other than the present moment. They always just manage to get 'part' of the conversation and add to it!
    Just ask Ron!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jim:
      Your ADD comment had a lot of people here laughing out loud. Definitely not the case. In his brilliance, he simply has a tendency to be at times completely clueless.

      Delete
  4. Hahahahahahaha!!! I can´t stop laughing. Jerry cracks me every single time. I love him to bits. But he did very well with Tynan when you were away. I bet his brain really hurt when he went home after two nights trying really hard to understand him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elena:
      He told me he had no trouble at all understanding Tynan while I was away. Maybe I'M the problem!

      Delete
  5. 'Mandarina' Tang....tells me it's feminine....add that to your "Brain Hurts" moments!!

    Please don't listen to Jim, he thinks he knows everything, at least that's what he told me 40 years ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ron:
      After 40 years, one would expect you'd realize that Jim doesn't THINK he knows everything. He DOES know everything. Understand? Or are you already onto something else?

      Delete
  6. Ohhhhh I just laughed out loud and my eyes are crying. Thank you. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Judy:
      Try a Strawberry Tang eyewash. I hear it's good for thought. (STRAWBERRY Tang??? Can you imagine???)

      Delete
  7. It's funny what people say and what we hear... I got hearing aids last year to help but they don't do much to decipher accents, enunciation or language.... I don't even bother wearing them here in Costa Rica...

    ReplyDelete
  8. I get that with the Great Scot constantly, only in the other direction. We'll go to the store and ask for something then, after a brief pause for popping their gum, comes "huh?", or "whaddya say?".
    In all honesty, Mitchell, I must say...you had me at John Cleese. hehe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jacquelineand....
      Oh, I would have loved to have included that entire Monty Python skit. But it would have sent San Geraldo right over the edge. (And, although I haven't gotten my head STUCK in the cupboard, I have a few times swung a cupboard door closed on my head... and my brain did hurt.)

      Delete
  9. None of it rises beyond the fact that I don't like Tang. This is the one and only reason I chose not to become an astronaut. For sure!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stephen:
      I think Tang is one of the most disgusting things. I had one sip... once. That was enough. I immediately had to brush the "orange" off my teeth. Tang was around for 3 years until having success because it was sent into space with John Glenn. Apparently, Buzz Aldrin said "Tang sucks." Had I known it wasn't really "the space drink," I WOULD have become an astronaut.

      Delete
  10. Ah Tang, when I was a kid I would it it with a spoon (not as juice as powder) Sugar Sugar Sugar!

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    Replies
    1. Cheapchick:
      Blech. Blech. Blech. Excuse me while I go rinse out my mouth.

      Delete
  11. My brain hurts a bit too! Life is so interesting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kristi:
      Yes, we constantly have such deep and intellectually stimulating conversations. Had it not bee for this, I might never have known there was a flavor called "Mandarin Tang."

      Delete
  12. Looks to me a chemical enhanced sugary drink which makes your brain hurt. let's stick to the real stuff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter:
      One taste was more than enough for me. I thought it was awful and it stained my tongue orange. But, my brother loved it. I'll stick with fresh-squeezed orange juice.

      Delete

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