Sunday, time to wash my car. At the car wash they have different programs, from ‘showroom quality’, ‘glossy & protected’ and ‘glossy’ to ‘clean’. Just clean seems fine to me for my modest car. When it’s my turn, I say to the friendly-looking guy behind the cash register, “Clean, please.” He looks at me with wide eyes: “What’s beautiful? You don’t say ‘BREAD’ at the bakery, do you?’” Somewhat surprised I answer: “I mean the washing program is clean.” The boy catches up. “Oh, yes sorry, the names for the washing programs have changed since yesterday.”
A version of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of January 11, 2022
#car #wash