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Say What?? Travel Photo: Closed

Throughout Southeast Asia there is one ubiquitous sign that can be spotted nearly everywhere:

Close Sign

No, not “Lao Food” (though this photo is from the Lao capital of Vientiane). “Close.” That’s not to say that you are close to the restaurant. No, no. The restaurant is Closed.

This can’t solely be blamed on some translation faux pas. When you think about it, you realize that “Closed” is one of those words in the English-language that just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I mean, once a restaurant has opened, it’s Open. So then why once a restaurant has closed is it still Closed?

Both Opened and Closed are past tense. Both the present and future tenses of Opened are Open, yet only the future tense of Closed is to Close. But Closed has no present tense… How much sense does that make?

Say What?? is a thrice weekly series featuring numerous hilarious signs from my travels. Check back every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for updates! Or better yet, subscribe to my RSS feed to receive them automatically!
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By Aaron

Hey there! I'm Aaron and this is my travel site, where I document my adventures to all corners of the world. My love for travel started at the ripe old age of four, when a midlife crisis uprooted my family to Ecuador for five years. Since then, I've been to countries on 4 different continents. When I'm not blissfully on the road, I reside in New York City, where I become the ultimate travel junkie and spend my days dreaming up my next great adventure! Read More...

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