A Rose by any other name....
might be of another culture! My friend Tam asked me to compose a post about her. Here's to you Baby TaAb. Love, Super TaAb
"Hey Brecksville Lady!" "Hey Super TAB." "Sssh!" "Wha-?" "Someone might hear you!" Tam glanced around at the small collection of workers in the break room. "Yeah, yeah! gitu loh! Mereka bodoh!" "TAM!" "Sorry." She said it so sweetly, I forgave her for being so blaise and calling my coworkers idiots.
For those wondering A) Why Tam is referring to me as a T.A.B. (or more precisely T.a.A.b.), or B) what a T.A.B./T.a.A.B. is, I will explain as P.C. as I can. Tam is Indonesian. She is so engrossed in Asian and Southeastern Asian cultures that- much like some of my Hispanic friends that refer to their comrades as S.A. (Spanish-American) whether they are or not- she refers to me with absolute admiration as a T.a.A.B. (Trendy ass Asian B--ch). Some do not use this acronym as a compliment. Tam is sincere in her elevation of the phrase. I have never considered myself anything but African-American, but when we met, I exemplified the essence of TAB-ism for Tam.
My last two years of college were great! One finished as an older student and engaged in a lot of self-study, too. I had a few problems with the bursars office when I first went back, which is where I came across Tam and her brother Kin (who we call Kin-Ken). "Could you please explain that again?" Tam's reasoning was not that she didn't know enough English, it was because all that Financial Aid crap is confusing! Tam had to deal with INS, Aid to Foreign Students and Akronites. Trust me that sounded biased and it IS a bias- I'm working on it. The woman treated her with the same disrespect I have seen many Americans treat so-called foreigners with. After the third time seeing her there and hearing her interact with these midwesterners, I offered my assistance "Maybe I can help?"
I began hanging out with her and her brother after that, as though we were all old friends. It seems they serviced a need in my life too; I felt like my family was so far away at that time. I began dating my ex-boyfriend Kim Yung-Hoon at that time and he was what Tam referred to as "Fobolous". Multi-lingual, highly intellectual, and gorgeously straddling two cultures gracefully in a Brooks Brothers' suit! Yeah, sometimes I miss him...I was dressing for our fourth date in her dorm room and we were both trying to keep her brother out; he had an 'attachment' to me for several months after we first met. "You look sooo HOT!" "Thanks Babe!" "I want to be like you when I get settled in...you are such a Super TAB!" "What's that?" "You mean there is something IIiii know that you don't know?" "Trust me...there's probably more!" After a very detailed description of what a TAB was, I was still a bit confused. While on our date, I asked Kim Yung-Hoon to explain. "That's not a good word! What the hell is she trying to say?!" was his reply. I called her on his cell for her to clarify. She speaks Chinese and he speaks Chinese (although neither IS Chinese) and they used this neutral language to get across their views. He explained after they got off the phone. "Remember that movie BAPS (1997)?" "Yes" "Remember how you felt they took a status phrase and applied it to the wrong type of female?" "Yes" "Well, Tam is doing the same thing for the opposite reason." He described it perfectly, and after that I began calling Tam "Baby TAB" since she was a TAB in training (according to her).
Although I am sure I resemble none of the stereotypes of a TAB, truly just having someone who thinks it is cool to be a TAB calling ME a TAB is sweet. Tonight is our sleepover; we haven't done one of these since she moved into her apartment in Brecksville! I have my overnight bag and my ex's cell number...in case I get nostalgic.
Much love to my "second sister" Tam!
"Hey Brecksville Lady!" "Hey Super TAB." "Sssh!" "Wha-?" "Someone might hear you!" Tam glanced around at the small collection of workers in the break room. "Yeah, yeah! gitu loh! Mereka bodoh!" "TAM!" "Sorry." She said it so sweetly, I forgave her for being so blaise and calling my coworkers idiots.
For those wondering A) Why Tam is referring to me as a T.A.B. (or more precisely T.a.A.b.), or B) what a T.A.B./T.a.A.B. is, I will explain as P.C. as I can. Tam is Indonesian. She is so engrossed in Asian and Southeastern Asian cultures that- much like some of my Hispanic friends that refer to their comrades as S.A. (Spanish-American) whether they are or not- she refers to me with absolute admiration as a T.a.A.B. (Trendy ass Asian B--ch). Some do not use this acronym as a compliment. Tam is sincere in her elevation of the phrase. I have never considered myself anything but African-American, but when we met, I exemplified the essence of TAB-ism for Tam.
My last two years of college were great! One finished as an older student and engaged in a lot of self-study, too. I had a few problems with the bursars office when I first went back, which is where I came across Tam and her brother Kin (who we call Kin-Ken). "Could you please explain that again?" Tam's reasoning was not that she didn't know enough English, it was because all that Financial Aid crap is confusing! Tam had to deal with INS, Aid to Foreign Students and Akronites. Trust me that sounded biased and it IS a bias- I'm working on it. The woman treated her with the same disrespect I have seen many Americans treat so-called foreigners with. After the third time seeing her there and hearing her interact with these midwesterners, I offered my assistance "Maybe I can help?"
I began hanging out with her and her brother after that, as though we were all old friends. It seems they serviced a need in my life too; I felt like my family was so far away at that time. I began dating my ex-boyfriend Kim Yung-Hoon at that time and he was what Tam referred to as "Fobolous". Multi-lingual, highly intellectual, and gorgeously straddling two cultures gracefully in a Brooks Brothers' suit! Yeah, sometimes I miss him...I was dressing for our fourth date in her dorm room and we were both trying to keep her brother out; he had an 'attachment' to me for several months after we first met. "You look sooo HOT!" "Thanks Babe!" "I want to be like you when I get settled in...you are such a Super TAB!" "What's that?" "You mean there is something IIiii know that you don't know?" "Trust me...there's probably more!" After a very detailed description of what a TAB was, I was still a bit confused. While on our date, I asked Kim Yung-Hoon to explain. "That's not a good word! What the hell is she trying to say?!" was his reply. I called her on his cell for her to clarify. She speaks Chinese and he speaks Chinese (although neither IS Chinese) and they used this neutral language to get across their views. He explained after they got off the phone. "Remember that movie BAPS (1997)?" "Yes" "Remember how you felt they took a status phrase and applied it to the wrong type of female?" "Yes" "Well, Tam is doing the same thing for the opposite reason." He described it perfectly, and after that I began calling Tam "Baby TAB" since she was a TAB in training (according to her).
Although I am sure I resemble none of the stereotypes of a TAB, truly just having someone who thinks it is cool to be a TAB calling ME a TAB is sweet. Tonight is our sleepover; we haven't done one of these since she moved into her apartment in Brecksville! I have my overnight bag and my ex's cell number...in case I get nostalgic.
Much love to my "second sister" Tam!
Labels: Friends of T.A.B.s, Super T.A.B.s, T.A.B.s
posted by ScreenGoddessComplex at 3:43 PM
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