Pick-up lines – the bad, the ugly, the sad

So, I don’t get picked up a lot in Asia! Why?

Chihuly at the beach

I am too:

• old
• white
• straight forward
• tall
• muscular
• you name it

But occasionally I get some interesting pick-up lines.

About a year ago in Ho Chi Minh City in a rooftop bar, partying with my colleagues, I was minding my own business and trying to look impressed, although the rooftop bars in Bangkok are much more interesting. A Japanese guy in a group next to us decided to try his luck. He didn’t even bother to greet me, but went straight for the kill:

I want your number.

Then a few months later, I worked out in the gym in Bangkok, throwing some kicks, doing push ups, sit ups and some jumps – again minding my own business. A white guy walks up to me and says:

Hello, I got a sandbag in my room.

(FYI: room in Asia means apartment). I waited for him to continue his little speech. So, as with the Japanese man, I just looked at him and waited for the next line, but it never came…and finally he walked away.

Then yesterday, I was at the grocery store and again, believe it or not, minding my own business after a pretty stressful day. I had my ipod plugged in, wrestled with my umbrella while walking into the store, juggled my handbag, a paper bag, and the shopping basket.

I walked around putting items into my basket when this black guy walked up to me. He looked at me for a little while and went:

Do you work here?

I mean – seriously? I was in a business dress, I was the only Westerner in the store, my umbrella was dripping water on the floor…

My answer was “no”. And he walked away…