Sunday 16 December 2007

Embarrassing moments

In her memoirs, Barbara Bush described one of those most embarrassing moments that inevitably occur, even on the most carefully advanced of foreign trips. Along with her husband, then the Vice President, Mrs. Bush was lunching with Emperor Hirohito at Tokyo's Imperial Palace.

Sitting next to the Emperor, Mrs. Bush found the conversation an uphill task. To all her efforts at verbal engagement, the Emperor would smile and say "Yes" or "No," with an occasional "Thank You" tossed in for good measure.

Looking around her elegant surroundings, she complimented Hirohito on his official residence.

"Thank you," he said.

"Is it new?" pressed Mrs. Bush.

"Yes."

"Was the old palace just so old that it was falling down?" asked Mrs. Bush.

In his most charming, yet regal, matter, Hirohito replied, "No, I'm afraid that you bombed it."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

simply amazing!lol!

Anonymous said...

Well, the Emperor had a sense of humor....but they bombed us first.   Linda in WA

Anonymous said...

It must be quite daunting to have to sit beside someone who answers in monasyllabic sound bites.
She should have said...serves you right for rattling our cage!

Jeanie

Anonymous said...

I'm sure I would have done far far worse, much to the humiliation of my DH.  I'm sure she felt like slithering under the table.  


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