Michael Cash wrote:

> 
> A cute young hottie (or maybe she was a hot young cutie...I get
> confused) today informed me that my nihongo is jouzu and I am nihonjin
> yori umai.
> 
> All that because I indicated that I didn't mind having hot and cold
> items placed in the same bag at the convenience store.
> 
> Now I know what Rush meant a couple of days ago when he said something
> about the "soft bigotry of low expectations".
> 

I may have mentioned this before. At my local 7-11 there is 
occasionally an older man who I think is the owner. He has a very 
kind face and seems a genuinely nice person. However, he has 
never said a single word to me. Each time we go through a 
patomine of "do you want chopsticks?", "shall I heat this?", 
"this is the price here". I don't even get arigato.

I know he can speak Japanese, he speaks to the other customers.