It's Pronounced "Chili."
In 1994, before I met Buds, I was living with Ragsbottom at Manhasset Village Apartments, walking my cocker spaniel, Brandie, and teaching special education in the Ferguson-Florrisant school district in St. Louis. Ragsbottom’s fiancee Mike was a firefighter who wanted to be certified to be a driver which meant memorizing all the streets all over St. Louis. This made him a fantastic resource in the pre-Mapquest world. (Yes, we had paper maps, but when driving alone it’s tough to read the map and drive.
I managed to get very lost in St Louis one afternoon. I pulled over to call Mike at the fire station on a pay phone. Ragsbottom had suggested I carry his number on a piece of paper with me at all times, and she was so right.
“Mike, I’m lost downtown.”
“Where are you? What are your cross streets?”
“I’m on Chateau?” I pronounced it “sha-tow,” as one does.
He was very confused.
“What street?”
“Chateau.”
“Spell it.”
I did and he began to laugh.
“Ahhh. It’s pronounced ‘show-dough’ in St Louis.”
It still makes me laugh to think about Show-Dough in St Louis, and this was after having a college roommate who grew up in Versailles, MO, pronounced, “Ver-sāles.”
I never thought I’d best “show-dough.”
Until Chris the chimney sweep cleaned our chimney yesterday.
We were chatting of life and plans and I asked if he got to go home after he was through with our chimney.
He did.
“Do you have far to drive?”
“Oh no, I’m just over in “Chai-līe.”
“What’s that again?” I asked.
“Chai-līe.” he repeated.
I was scanning my local geographic memory bank and the dial finally kicked in.
He lives in Chili, 20 minutes southwest of us.
Chili.
“Chai-līe.”
I think “Show-dough” might be bested.
