My daughter Greta has studied Chinese since high school. She had the opportunity to live in China for a summer and in Taiwan for an academic year. She is majoring in Chinese in college.
Every once in awhile, she shares a new vocabulary word with me. She came across this gem during a language seminar this winter.
It’s pronounced Foo-Bee. And it means “to slap one’s own buttocks in excitement or despair”. Reasonably, she asked her professor why this is a word. A good question with no apparent answer.
But it might be the perfect word for the current crisis. It can be used in a moment of despair. Or in a moment of excitement.
Go ahead.
Foo-bee.
The Refillable Glass 
Love it! Let me try.
Ok; so, Monday was the 14th and final day of my personal extreme social distancing from my husband— the only person I live with. (I had flown back to Michigan from Texas on a plane 2 weeks before) The following day, we could start sitting next to each other rather than across the room. We could eat dinner at the same table; even hugs were OK! Maybe we could even contemplate sleeping in the same room and sharing a bathroom again?
Foo-bee! 🥳
Later that day, for only the second time in my life, I began to place an online order for groceries at the store a mile from my house. It had been 10 days since our first order, and all the fruit was gone, the bread was gone, vegetables, milk and yogurt were fast disappearing. I clicked away and finished the order, happily contemplating groceries in a day or so; only to discover the next possible time slot for pick up OR delivery was — 8 days away!
Foo-bee! 😩
I’m sorry there is no emoji for slapping one’s butt cheeks!
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Where is the video? This post definitely requires a video.
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I think we should ask your mother to provide the video on this one!
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