Chinese tattoo prank

This story is really funny
www.zug.com...

The best part is, I know someone who had a very similar esperience. Two very good friends of mine were both born in the year of the Cock. So, on their 21 birthdays, respectively, they both went out and got tattoos of the chinese symbol for rooster. One on his shoulder, one on his calf.

They noticed that even though they wanted the same symbol, the tattoos came out differently. It turned out one had the correct year of the cock symbol, the other had a type of flavored, edible poultry on his calf.

Moral: Don't get strange foreign tattoos unless you know FOR SURE what it says.

[edit on 17-5-2006 by Rasobasi420]

[edit on 17-5-2006 by Rasobasi420]

That was hillarious.

At my old job me and my co-workers used to talk about this. Even though in that link the guy was just pulling a prank, but you can imagine there probably are a lot of people who know nothing of asian language or culture who are getting oriental symbolic tattoos that aren't what they were told they were meant.

A lot more common than one might think -

I used to be really good friends with some tattoo artists and one of them really hated putting certain symbols on people - he would always ask them why they wanted it and how much they knew about the culture before doing it.

If he felt they really didn't understand he would refuse the work - a lot of his co-workers used the same method with their customers - they were all very educated on various aspects of cultural symbolism.

On the flip side - I overheard an artist in a rival shop casually comment to one of his customers that sometimes he really "gets a kick out of inking people who don't know what the # they're asking for".

Apparently he was of the impression than one gets what one deserves as opposed to what one intends.

*in otehr words - know what you're getting, check your sources and TALK to any potential artists before getting inked.

I have two tattoos myself - (both are self designed) - but I am constantly running into people who think they know what these symbols mean before even asking me what they are, or what they mean to me.

I keep them covered these days, just because the level of ignorance and assumption seems to be at an all time high in the public arena.

Tattoos aren't for everybody, but those who decide to get them should get something they can be forever proud of.