Eggshells

Last night I picked up a drunken Irish couple and we immediately fell into some good natured banter. The Irish can usually be counted on for some fun and a good laugh, especially those here on vacation, the majority of my Irish passengers.

In due course the fella mentioned he’d been in Australia for twelve years. This surprised me as his accent was almost impenetrable. Without thinking I jokingly asked, ‘So how come you’ve stayed so long ? You got a specialist trade or something, or did you jump the visa ?’. When he hesitated in responding I checked the rear mirror to see him looking askance at his girlfriend. Uh oh, I thought, that was a mistake.

Sure enough, he lunged forward and barked in my ear, ‘Listen ! I don’t appreciate you saying that’. His sudden change in temperament alarmed me and I scrambled, ‘Yeah fair enough...’, ‘No, it’s not fair enough !’, he interrupted. ‘Just because I’m an Irishman living in Australia you think I’m a visa breaker !?’. He was right. I’d lazily used a stereotype, albeit in jest and so quickly moved to make amends.

‘Mate, I was only joking...’. He cut me off, ‘It’s like people getting in your cab and seeing you’re an Aussie they automatically think you’re a loser. Know what I mean lad ?’. It was tempting to respond I didn’t give a shit if passengers assumed that, but thought better of it and instead offered an apology. ‘I understand entirely mate and apologise for offending you’.

Yet this wasn’t enough and despite protestations from his girlfriend to settle down he continued haranguing me. ‘I’ve been a citizen for nine years’, he announced. ‘I’m more Australian than many Australians. Tell me this lad - where’s Gallipoli ?’. ‘Aw, Turkey’. ‘And which War was Gallipoli’. I answered correctly and somberly, anything to placate him.

‘Well okay’, he challenged, ‘I bet you haven’t done the Kokoda Trail ?’. ‘No’, I admitted, ‘but good on you for doing it, I’m jealous’. ‘Who’s the most racist nation in the world ?’. Now he was being ridiculous. ‘Um, Japan ?’, I offered. ‘No, it’s Ireland’. ‘That surprises me...’. ‘Why ?’, he demanded. ‘Aw, because of their natural friendliness...’. ‘Pffft !’, he snorted, ‘that’d be fookin’ right’. What could one say to a fractious drunk.

From thereon in it was a case of avoiding eggshells, even after arrival at the address and his girlfriend storming off. All I wanted him to do was get out and finally got a chance to request the $15.50 fare. 'Just make it fifteen', I told him. He gave me a twenty and said, ‘Keep it’, offered a handshake and was gone. Phew.

Comments

[Paul Pluta]

Yes, I remember many similar experiences when I was driving cabs.....

It is so easy to get misinterrupted by the customer. You mean nothing nasty....but they assume you do....

Personally I found a 15" shifting spanner in the driver's door very handy in tricky situations.

I love the blog..... I come here every day (I work in IT now - no more cab driving for me till the washing maching blows up or something similar!).....

Keep up the excellent blog.

3 Cheers for an excellent blog.

[James]

Fooking Irish!

A wonderful people with some great contributions to world literature and culture and politics, but why do so many, especially the young men, act like such dickheads when they get out here? And why can't they get home from the pub without carrying on a top-volume dialogue that is unintelligible except for the frequent use of the words "Fookin!" and "Coleen!"?

[pat]

Hmmm, that sounds like 3 hours in to every family BBQ I have ever gone to.

[jl]

im suprised that the most racist country in the world is NOT america.

keep driving mate.

cheers

-the american

[Bill Steamshovel]

Why would you be surprised that the US isn't the most racist country?

You must know bugger all about other countries if you'd think that the US is the most racist country.

[Aurelius]

Aren't the drunks just grand fun Adrian?
A reminder of why I'd never go back to the game

[Lee]

Hahahahahahaha...the fickleness of the Irish! By the time he came to pay the fare he probably had forgotten all about what you had said! lol

I'm second generation Irish on my paternal side! So I can empathise! Hehehehehe! Thanks for the laugh, Adrian.

[south coast cabbie]

i had a irish lad on friday nite picked him up in chippendale and took him to chifly he was so happy i knew where chifly was(i sort of surprised myself to as i usual drive on the northern beach's)was stoked that i was a aussie to so much so that i got a $5 tip only thing was for the entire trip i could not understand a word he was saying.and it true about how so many get in the cab and think just because you are a white aussie guy driving a cab you must be a loser who carn't do anything else,but hey i earn $75000 a year in my real job and drive cabs on my days off because silly me i enjoy it,and if some of these snobs knew what you can earn on a friday or saturday nite shifts they might thing otherwise but then may be i shouldn't let that cat out of the bag here.

[TheDailyMagnet]

Oh Adrian - that sort of banter is a term of endearment for the Irish, just like every 2nd word is fook or coont(forget Colleen).

It's just a different culture with a different way of expressing themselves, I know it can be confronting but it's fostered in a different climate to Oz - although, speaking about climate, I can tell you there should be a whole lotta people over this way, being very confronting and saying fook and coont a LOT - boy do I hate summers in Perth.

[100percent]

As it happens I'm Irish, living in Ireland most of my life and never been to Oz! But I think anyone sensitive to being labelled might take offence being stereotyped - anyone black, muslim, gay etc. However, it sounds like this "lad" should've accepted your apology when it was offered and understoon that no malice was intended by you. That's always where I draw the line - what was the intention? And maybe, I try to point out prejudice to others just as I'd like them to challenge me on mine.

I check your blog as often as I can - definitely always worth a read!

[serhat]

I tell you what..I am from Turkey and Turkey is one of the most racist country on the world..

[saint]

I catch cabs a lot around the country and I always ask the cabbies - with or without accents - for *their* story. I can always count on *them* for good banter and a laugh...although some have stories that have also moved me to tears. And none have ever been offended. I reckon despite the odd bad egg, we have the best cabbies in the world.

[Lee]

Good on you, saint! :)