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We feature an original illustration by the wonderful Mari Andrew every Friday morning. Here’s today’s.
P.S. Honest genre labels, and what not to bring on vacation.
Do You Really Need That Many Packing Peanuts?
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“Showing me the wine label before pouring, ooh fancy” this one killed me hahahahah!! As a 22 year old who knows little about wine (despite having lived in both Italy and France… it’s a disgrace, I know) I find this hilarious.
I was in South Carolina on a family vacation and two very kind and polite southern boys came up to me after a game of baseball with my two boys to return the ball. They both said ‘thank you ma’am’ and ‘yes ma’am’ when I asked them a question. Not one part of me felt old by this (I am 35). I thought it was darling!
I must say, as a 41-year-old with two kids who are often with me, it makes me a little annoyed when people call me “Miss” these days. I’ve earned Ma’am! You call me Ma’am, you little whippersnappers!
As a lady in the beverage business, we show the label to guests before opening the wine to make sure it’s the correct bottle! It happens all the time… “I’ll get a bottle of pinot!” or (randomly points to list in small type) and then when we start pouring (or even worse, even they get the bill), whups. Not *that* pinot!! :)
Laughed at the wine bottle, thinking of the obligatory nod and “oh yes great thank you” each time, as I pretend that I remember and recognize what I ordered.
But I do appreciate when waiters show the bottle to me after I order it, and not just to my male dinner companion – amazingly, this doesn’t always happen. (Worse, so often when I hand a waiter my credit card to pay for dinner, the check is handed back to my date instead of to me.)
Another Southerner here, and my boss, a few decades older than me, calls me ma’am. :)
I haven’t posted on Mari Andrew’s illustrations yet but I so enjoy them! I browse through the Friday round up and am always excited to keep scrolling to see what truth (plus witty analysis) Mari has put together. Thank you!
My family likes to tell me how tired I look. I have a chronic illness. No matter how many times I tell them it’s related to the chronic illness, they still tell me how tired I look.
My mother in law tells me this ALL THE TIME. I have even responded saying, “I think that’s just the way I look” or “Of course I’m tired, I have two small children and work a full time job, but please don’t remind me that I look so tired because there isn’t much I can do about it” Ugh. Makes me so frustrated. My husband has even stepped in and told her that it’s not very nice and doesn’t help anything! So unnecessary!
Hahaha, the wine thing is so true and funny :) Who needs a label when you love wine, not me that’s for sure!!
Have a great weekend :)
Chloe
Awww I love being called ma’am! I take it as a sign of respect :)
But LOL at the wine label! Hahaha I never have any idea what I’m looking at ?
So true on the wine bottle label, it’s like ‘cool, thanks, can you pour already?’
My sentiments exactly! :D
I used to be intimidated by wine presentation at restaurants until I broke it down: Does the label have the name of the wine I ordered? Cool. Does it taste corked or otherwise bad? Nope! WINE TIME.
Definitely “you look sick” or “you look tired”. Those comments normally come on the days I don’t wear makeup :(
Yes! I didn’t wear make-up to work one day and three people commented on how “tired” I looked. I wasn’t.
Ugh yes! I’m in graduate school– of course I am tired! Yet, I have this one classmate who alllllways tells me “you look tired today”// read “you look gross today”.
Recently someone said that to me on a day that I actually felt pretty peppy. Not sure if I was in denial or my friend was projecting onto me!! THANKS either way! :s
I’ve always liked being called ‘Ma’am’, especially by men. It feels like they are being respectful and courteous.
To add an item to this list: when people ominously say “if u thought your kid is a handful now, wait till he grows up”. I mean, I get the teenager years could be hard and challenging, but when I crib about how my 5-yo is driving me nuts, I am expecting a chuckle or a tip to make it better. not a negative spin. Grr!
“The chronic illness your child has is Really Rare. Very unusual to see in a child this young. Normally you see this in very old old people. The elderly. BUT: if he wears this brace- then no kid will wAnt to come near him: which is what we want. To. You know. Protect him.” Said several times by Experts, to you, as your stunned child sits six inches from you, listening.
Why girls don’t like “MA’AM”? It is a word to show respect to girls of all ages.
It can feel patronizing.
As a Midwesterner who has lived in the South for nearly ten years, the word ma’am used to make me feel old and yucky. But after being in the South for so long, I love it! Calling someone ma’am is a marker of manners, respect, and being conscientious. In the South, any woman over the age of 18 is referred to as ma’am. To me, I really feel like the use of ma’am is inclusive language (a true equal to sir), and not at all unnecessary. I feel like maybe we bring our own baggage to the word if we’re uncomfortable with appearing older than we are or navigating the relationship between a customer and a worker in a service industry.
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