OK, first the link, so the Mods don’t yell at me again…
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mrockpaper.html
Now the quote:
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One of the most humorous variations comes from Indonesia and involves an elephant, a person, and an ant. The elephant can crush the person, the person can crush the ant, but how can the ant win against the elephant? It crawls in the elephant’s ear and drives it crazy. I’d just like to know what the hand signals are for those three.
And finally the answer, courtesy of my Indonesian girlfriend:
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Elephant: the thumb
Person: the index finger
Ant: the little finger.
Terimah kasih, Kambing!
– Beruang
I started another topic about the RPS report, since my comments didn’t fit under the heading of this one. I thought this deserved a reply, though, and hopefully some more attention. I think the Indonesian version of RPS is one of the most interesting things I’ve learned about the game, and thanks to Beruang and his girlfriend, we can all play! Maybe we can even get the World RPS Society to put a section about international versions on their webpage. Thanks, Beruang!
Oh, the esteemed Master Roshambollah already started a thread about this very thing. It made me laugh, as the website for which he provides a link is one that he referred me to over a month ago. I guess when he referred me he hadn’t actually visited the site!
And yes, thanks, Beruang, for the clarification. I think a slightly open fist would make a better elephant, as the pinky-finger-ant could then actually crawl in, but I guess that might be taken the wrong way by an opponent who doesn’t know you well.
On the contrary, “VegForLife” (what is it with folks on this board and weird handles? I tell you…) I had actually found that delightful page some time previously while doing research on RPS. The page is quite valuable, as it offers much info on world variations, and as such was invaluable in preparing me for my visit to SE Asia. Also, I recently pieced together some information from that site to support a thesis that the French are behind the misguided “Four Throw Variants” (due to dynamite being Canadian, and “Rock, Leaf, Well, Scissors” being French. Also, the only other mention of “well” on the site was related to Vietnam.
Realizing the importance of triangulating information, I sought to inform you as to uncertain info (i.e., the Edmonton interview to which I had not listened.
I’ve definitely enjoyed your posts on this site as well as your sublime commentary on http://www.worldrps.com. Keep up the good work. As for me, I’m training one of my students for an upcoming qualifier for the SouthEastern Regional RPS tournaments later this evening, and must depart. Take care, and we hope to hear from you soon.