akkapajio

There was a police detective at our house today and all of a sudden my mom calls me down stairs. Apparently this detective speaks English because he spent time at the police academy in Davis (of all places!) learning about being on an american bomb squad, but now he gets most of his English from cop shows like 24 and movies like Columbo and Lethal Weapon. He also liked the show "Twin Peaks" and was asking my mom about this phrase, which in Japanese-English sounds like "akkapajio." So, my mom asks me what this is. Of course I draw a blank. Then he tells they said it a lot on Twin Peaks, like when they'd enter the police station or at a diner, "Gimme akkapajio" - then it hits me like a ton of bricks: A cup of Joe. My mom spent 37 years in the States and claims never to have heard this expression. Considering how much coffee she drinks, this is a big shocker. One time she was complaining to me over a cup of coffee about how thirsty she is all the time and I told her that caffeine actually makes you more dehydrated, so she should drink water when she feels thirsty. She mused, "Maybe I shouldn't drink so much coffee in the morning." I asked her how much she drank, and she told me, "Oh, usually just one pot."

One last thing about the detective. In the States, he'd always wanted to use the phrase: You're under arrest! but has had a chance to use it a few times here in Japan apprehending foreign petty criminals in gaijin-heavy areas like Roppongi. I just think it's hilarious to imagine this Japanese detective screaming "You're under arrest!" Maybe you had to see him to understand...