# Explanation of "Aiya!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2002, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explanation-of-aiya/98900 "2002-03-18T18:08:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explanation-of-aiya/98900/21 "2002-03-19T18:49:29Z")
I’m learing so much in this thread - and it also explains a lot (like why my li’l Asian bois often call me _gweiloh!_ :mad: ) Esprix ---
**Author:** ![tisiphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tisiphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tisiphone)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explanation-of-aiya/98900/22 "2002-03-19T19:13:48Z")
Bizarre. I’ve been following this thread with great interest, because my family also uses Aiya (or Ai-Yi). Only thing is, we’re not Cantonese by a long shot. Nor do we have any in the family at the moment. Where did we get it from? Near as I can figure, it came from just living in California. ---
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explanation-of-aiya/98900/23 "2002-03-19T19:20:07Z")
A thread dear to my heart… [minor hijack follows] Great-grandfather a missionary in Tientsin. Grandfather and mother born and raised there. I was born outside of London but raised in HK by a Chinese amah for the first 3 years of my life. 4 years later-saw chinese dried plums (Wah Mei) at the grocery store in Guam and started salivating . Mother insisted I would hate 'em-too salty for my kiddie palate. Purchased some with my allowance. Heaven- as my amah had obviously introduced me to them at an early age. I still say Aiyah and I still giggle when stressed. Oh the buried memories of childhood… [hijack over with apologies] ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explanation-of-aiya/98900/24 "2002-03-19T19:23:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by China Guy \* > \*\*Just remember Jackie Chan in Rush Hour in the pool hall. \*\* Yes, I remember that scene… very funny! And as for the soya sauce chicken foot Slurpees (in case anybody wants to know), there would be two ways to make them: the easy way would be to just stick a soya sauce chicken foot into the Slurpee… AND… the hard way would be to make the actual Slurpee taste like soya sauce chicken feet! Either way, pretty gross. (am I allowed to hijack my own thread? I wonder…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explanation-of-aiya/98900.md?page=1)