Sydney City Council has just passed new regulations requiring driver’s licenses for yum-cha cart operators. I had yum-cha for the first time a few months ago and was unimpressed. It’s basically “dim sum”, as I understand it, where they wheel around carts full of little stuffed pork buns and chicken wings and spring rolls. Apparently there have been a rash of yum-cha cart accidents so now wait staff will have to undergo training and carry “L plates” for the first six months. Hee!
Note for Non-Aussies: Here’s the process for getting a driver’s license in this country (as I understand it). First you have to pass a Learner’s Test, after which you get your “L plates” to put on the car. It’s just a little sign with a red L on it. You have to log a certain number of hours driving and then you get to take your Provisional Test, which is a driving test with an instructor. When you pass that, you get your “red P’s”. Then later you have to take a Hazard Perception Test, after which you get your “green P’s”. And after that, there’s one final test before you get your real license. Pretty insane, huh? The L and P plates mark you out as a new driver, which means you have to drive slower and you get higher penalties for being pulled over. It’s a pretty thorough system!
Addendum, many hours later: I started to tell Snookums about the story tonight at dinner when he mentioned he’d already seen it. “Pretty good,” he said. “I bet a lot of people fell for it.” Me: “Uh… D’oh!” Consider me April Fooled. I can’t believe I’m that dumb.
6 responses
Don’t worry Kris – I fell for it too… didn’t even occur to me when read it this a.m. that it was April Fool’s!
yum cha is like a religion to my family! there’s bad yum cha out there though …
as for the licencing here, the L plates are yellow with the black L – and overall it’ll take someone, start to finish, about 3 years (or more) to get a full licence. makes me glad i got mine the year before all the changes were put in!
hehehe. at least now i’m on the alert that it’s april fools day! it’s only morning here in austin.
Someone who speaks cantonese told me Yum Cha and Dim Sum mean different things, but represent the same food…
Somthing like Yum Cha = afternoon tea, and Dim Sum = little meatball thingos…
I always call it Yum Cha in the US and get a lot of blank stares…
April Fool’s Day really annoys me. I can take a joke just like anyone else but I’m sorry after 30 years, it’s wearing a bit thin!!!
*mainly pissed as I went to find out some game info and the site has decided to do a “joke” which actually is not funny at all. I can’t find the info I wanted….grrrr!
Right I’ll go take my pills now…calm down…calm down….
I don’t believe any media outlet should participate in April fool’s day jokes. As it is, there are already plenty of reasons to doubt their veracity at times, the public doesn’t need further proof that they can fake stories.