Sloppiness

So occasionally I talk about bizarre (entirely subjective) American traits, maybe I should talk about something I like about the American culture (other than white men!) for a change. If I have to pick something to say that I like about the culture, I'll have to say it's the "sloppiness" of it. Let me define that, I don't mean the college bachelor dirty dishes and laundry and empty pizza boxes strewn over the entire apartment kind of sloppiness, but more the people's ability to break out of normal rules. Know that I come from a culture that is not known for their sense of humor, and Hong Kong, at least back then, being British territory, doesn't help matters any.

I will give you an example. Way back when, I was hanging out with an English gentleman. English Gentleman and I went to a little remote town (I couldn't remember where it was to save my own life) that could not have had population over 3-digit. You get the idea. And we went to their little rustic downtown and into their little rustic one-man (woman, actually) operated post office. What I had that was so important that I had to mail it out before I return to civilization I also could not remember to save my own life, but I had to mail it out that day and it involved the filling out of some kind of a form. So we went inside said post office, a lady came out from the back to help us, she handed me the form and said, "Holler when you are done."

So I took my time and filled out the form and holler, "Hello! I'm done!" I said. To which British Gentleman was shocked, "When she said 'holler,' I didn't think she meant it literally!" he said. "But of course," I answered, "How else would she know I was done?"

I guess in the British polite and subtle way, we should have waited for her eventual return? :O That would just be silly, either we would have to keep waiting after we were ready OR she'd have to keep interrupting her job in the back and check on us. What a hassle! The US sloppy way, for lack of a better word (that I can think of), was a much better (at least a much more efficient) way to go. =D