I recall being in a supermarket in Baton Rouge, LA some years back, and after wandering the drinks, sodas, squash, and soft drink aisles, I gave up, and asked a thirty something employee, with the supermarket badge and name tag on her shirt, “Excuse me ma’am, can you tell me where I can find tonic water please?”
She looked at me askance, and said, “Tahnic what?”
I patiently said, slowly, “Tahnic water.”
She collared another employee walking by, and said, “Eugene, kin y’all unnerstand this gennulman.”
Eugene tried, but gave up, and handed me a pen and paper, I wrote down tonic water.
They both said, “Oh, tahnic wahder, sorry sir, we’re fresh out.”
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