It's wicked to mock the afflicted

The office I work is quite nice in the sense that not one of the five people who occupy the desks where born in the same country. The office across the hall has a few other nations represented. Between the sporadic bursts of productivity (It amazes me how little of the day is spent with my chair swivelled towards the computer), we chat about our different upbringings. I love listening to these stories. Did you know that in France red-headed people are thought to be stinky? I try to contribute when I can but I have found that there is nothing I can say about the American experience that hasn’t been broadcast into every corner of the world in one medium or the other. What the hell is the point of moving across the ocean if you can’t earn the extra ‘exotic’ bonus points? My accent isn’t even exotic. My pronunciation is the ‘sitcom’ brogue from the telly. So, I have resorted to making up lore of modern Americana. Did you know in Louisiana they still practice cannibalism? Everyone is familiar with Americans’ penchant for circumcision, but did you know the leftovers are used to top the tree for the child’s first Christmas as an offering to the baby Jesus’ own covenant. I bet that was never part of an episode of Friends!