What's in a name

"What's in a name?..." indeed.

We are back from a short family trip to Scotland. It was splendid and, for my kid, full of memorable firsts:
✓ first time in an English-speaking country ✓ a different currency ✓ stern-looking border agents who only defrosted a bit when he asked pretty please for an unnecessary stamp ✓ tried haggis, loved it ✓ visit to a second-hand bookshop, bought an ungodly amount of Mangas
✓ and the kicker, the first time he saw the effect his last name has on English speakers. When the restaurant hostess asked for the reservation's name, her head turned so quickly that I thought she would give herself a whiplash. Her choked “Pardon?!”, followed by our hurried and simultaneous "Yes, it's our last name", has my kid cackling still today.

You see, it's “Kok”.
Say it exactly as you read it.

And just like that, my kid got to experience his very first time having to explain his last name in an international context largely made of English speakers. With his sense of humour, I know he’ll carry it proudly.

Picture taken in Edinburg of the neon sign of an Asian supermarket. To read with an English accent. I found it either a delightful coincidence or a clever marketing trick.