Quick story.
So tonight I stopped at the fruit stand across the street to pick up some pomegranates. (Duh.) As I'm happily walking away, the seller starts speaking in Azerbaijani and gesturing to the tomatoes. Since it was about 8:30 at night I thought maybe he wanted to get rid of them and was going to give them to me for free or something so I stuck around and tried to figure out what he was saying.
I had tried speaking in Russian with him during my pomegranate exchange but I realized he doesn't speak a lick of Russian. He starts jabbering away in Azerbaijani and I give up and switch to English, hoping he'll recognize the key phrase such as "I don't understand you". He's still gesturing to the tomatoes, and I'm still hoping I'll get them for free. Then he realizes my language and goes, "English?" so I reply "yes!". He slowly starts trying to piece together a sentence. It starts with, "I know..." (long pause and confusion) then, "I like you." So I'm trying to figure out what this could possibly mean and what it has to do with the tomatoes. I was hoping he had gotten confused about the language and what the words meant, so I continue to stick around. It continues like this:
Him: Where do you live?
(I point.)
Him: I like you.
Me: Uh. Ok.
Him: Do you understand?
Me: (confused) Maybe?
Him: I like you.
Me: (silent.)
Him: You... like me?
Me: (still silent.)
Him: I like you.
Me: Uhh. I don't know you?
(I'm still looking at the tomatoes, by the way.)
He sticks out his hand, so I try to shake it. Then he doesn't let go and starts pulling me towards him and giving me this really strange smile.
I pretty much ran away after this. I yank my hand back, yell "thanks/ goodbye" (they're the same word) in Azerbaijani and literally book it around some cars and run across the street. I'm still trying to figure this one out. If it was just a total language miscommunication... or if he thought he would be getting something more. Regardless, I'm a bit creeped out, and I refuse to go back to the fruit stand unless it's the nice old man again.
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Two questions:
ReplyDeleteWhat's the word for tomato in Azeri? And dies the word have any romantic or sexual connotations in Azeri? (And obviously you don't know the answer to these linguistic questions.)
I wouldn't think that hand pulling is a common behavior of fruit vendors in Baku or pretty much anywhere.
uh oh Anna...already getting pretty well acquainted with the local men, huh??
ReplyDeleteWasn't "I Like You" Borat's pick up line?
ReplyDeleteYou better hope he doesn't read this blog; with you having given away that free tomatoes are your weakness and all.... -Christopher