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ArticleGalen on Galen II
(8/12/92)
New Gal in Town answers more tough questions
(Editor's note: We have been besieged by readers wanting to know more about Ms. Nina Galen and how she came to Ogallala. Happily, Nina has graciously consented to interview herself some more.)
Q: Nina, I notice you drive a Ford Ranger. Is this because you're related to the Fords?
A: No. Actually, I had always dreamed of owning a Toyota, but after deciding to settle in the middle west I thought folks there might take me to their hearts quicker if I drove an American car.
Q: How do you like it?
A: It's great. I wish I had room for a GMC and a Chrysler too.
Q: Nina, not only do you drive a little truck, but you aren't married, have short hair, and wear jeans a lot. In the words of Oprah, are you a homosexual?
A: Absolutely not. In the words of the late, great R. Hudson: I love men.
Q: How do Ogallala men compare with New York men?
A: New York men?
Q: You know, those persons we see in ads wearing stylish ties, trousers and jackets.
A: Oh, those. I think the problem with New York men is that so many of them don't keep their cars in the city. They lose their machismo when obliged to ride in taxies operated by East European immigrants who drive fast and don't speak English.
Q: If the drivers don't speak English, how do they know where to go?
A: No one cares. The streets are so full of potholes, construction and firefights, passengers usually walk the last couple of miles anyway. But the taxi drivers really do speak English. They only pretend not to.
Q: Why on earth?
A: Because they want to keep their vision of America as a land of opportunity. If they had to listen to a lot of New Yorkers griping about their lives all day, they'd get discouraged.
Q: And Ogallala men?
A: Hardworking, church-going guys who hold their wives in high esteem.
Q: How do you know that last thing?
A: Because they refer to their women as "corn-fed." At first I though this was kind of insulting, but I didn't know then that cows are revered in Nebraska almost as much as they are in India, where they love them so much they don't even eat them.
Q: I can see where local terminology can be confusing for a newcomer. Tell me, do you say breakfast, dinner and supper or breakfast, lunch and dinner?
A: Neither. You see, in the 78th edition of Emily Post's Etiquette, which I bought at a garage sale last week, she says whether a meal is called dinner or supper depends on whom you invite, and whether soup is served in plates and eaten with tablespoons, or in bowls or cups, and on whether coffee is served black in tiny cups, or with cream in breakfast cups. But she sees them both as evening meals. Lunch is around mid-day.
Q: And you agree with Emily Post, of course.
A: No, rather than add to the confusion, I've decided never to say dinner again as long as I live in Ogallala. Everyone knows what I mean when I say lunch and supper. Anyway, I only own bowls and mugs, and never use cream, only skim milk.
Q: Well, Nina, I'm sure our readers will be glad to learn you're heterosexual, diet-conscious, and drive an American car. May I ask you some day why you drove it to Ogallala instead of, say, Nome, Alaska?
A: Any time. And thanks for pronouncing it Neena.