*&*^ You!
[At a gas station. Toronto, Canada. A new immigrant from Pakistan, a student, is working there. He’s pumping gas to get by. His English is brittle. His Punjabi is fluent. He’s told to say “thank you” to the customers.]
customer 1: Filler’ up
student: yes sir.
While he pumps gas for this customer, another customer comes along, so the student goes over to start the pump for them. While there, the first car has reached capacity and the gas begins to overflow onto the gas station platform.]
customer 1: Yo!! What the hell. Look at my vehicle.
[student runs over.
student: oh sorry sir. I am really very very sorry! [He says in his Punjabi accent as he rips the nozzle out of the vehicle.]
customer 1: Are you stupid man? You just get this job?
The student says nothing and has a neutral stare.
customer 1: man, *&*^ you.
The student quickly smiles and says: Thank you.
A couple of years later, he relates the story to some of his friends. He says, in those days, he didn’t even know what *&*^ you meant. He thought it was something normal, so he said thank you back to the customer. Everyone laughed.