One day in the summer, I went out for a quick simple lunch in the back alley with the accountant Cray Chang (the one who gave me the advice featured in the blog entry Gender Politics) and his assistant Peggy Lü.
On the way back, I decided to buy a watermelon for everyone in the office to share. The head count came to 8 bosses, 8 secretaries, and 4 drivers, so I bought the biggest one I could see.
The accountant offered to carry it for me, and I said, “No, it's all right. I can carry it in my arms.” In Chinese, for carrying something in one’s arms (e.g., a baby, a big bundle), embrace-fashion, the verb is 抱 bào. Cray immediately said, “不行，你还没结婚，你不能抱西瓜 / No, it won’t do. You’re not married, you can’t carry a watermelon.”
抱西瓜 bào xīguā is one of the Taiwanese euphemisms for being pregnant.
(Taiwan, 1975)
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