Anyone read English Phrasebooks?

[Jushin-Thunder-Liger]

I read a good 'un t'other day.
Over HALF of it was what to do when your a victim of crime abroad.
One little passage read like this:
To set the scene a nice japanese man is getting on the Subway in NYC, when a dirty, evil gijin approches..........

Evil Gaijin (With Mustauche): Good day, you have somthing on your back

Japanese Sallryman Abroad: NO! No i havn't

Evil Gaijin: Give me your wallet!

Japanese Sallaryman Abroad: Help, i am being the victim of crime!

The author thought this phrase would be usefull, when telling the cops about the incedent

Japanese Sallaryman Abroad: The crimminal was black.....

I told the guy who gave me the book, that this didn't make much sense to me, but he corrected me that in the west, Black people commit a lot of crime on the subway.

Another passage was realy strange, it consited of what to do when you sit down in a restraunt

Waiter (Again With Mustauche): Here is your table

Japanese Sallaryman Abroad (Before sitting down): Do the prices here include sales tax?

Waiter (Again With Mustauche): No sir

Japanese Sallaryman Abroad: Thanks for the information, i must remember to include tax with my final bill, it is not included in the final price

Waiter (Again With Mustauche): The menu is not in Japanese

With quality information like this, i believe is is disrespectfull that the Japanese do not speak perfect english

[Kanchou]

Who would have ever thought that Japan's TOEFL scores would be so low when they're learning out of quality books such as Moetan?

[vvx]

The success of phrase books like this can only be explained by "They're what the customer wants." So, I have a business proposition to make. The business would be a "theme" eikaiwa. We bring the students into a live-action immersion environment. We will have a variety of different stages setup depending on their level within the company English program, such as "subway", "back alley", and "So. Cal." Then, our teachers (the white guys have to wear makeup) proceed to give the Japanese a "real" American lesson by robbing them. Well, what do you think?

[Taro Toporific]

I read a good 'un t'other day.
Over HALF of it was what to do when your a victim of crime abroad...

Many phrase boks seem to the a Rorschach Test of the author's mind. In this case, the "lessons" use a Notional/Functional Approach, hee, hee. :P