Harassment by the coat-check lady

Sometimes I enter the university by the main door, but I stopped after the coat-check lady complained that my shearling coat was too heavy. The other day I came back, however, and she was quite pleasant with me. It turns out that she was once an English teacher, though it was forty years ago and she’s pretty out of practice with the language. In spite of her skills in my language, I generally make her talk to me in Russian.

Today I came back twice, once for class and once in the afternoon with my sport gear so I could lift weights. When I came back the second time, I chose the other window so she wouldn’t have to lift my coat. She chided me and I went over to her window after all. At her stand, there aren’t special hooks for hats so she puts my hat on a shelf under her counter and just remembers that it’s mine.

My hat, the one on the right, is easy to remember, because it’s different. Folks at home always ask me if I got my hat in Russia because it’s fur and it’s similar in style to traditional Russian hats. To folks here, the differences are pronounced. My hat has a rounded top, whereas a real Russian hat would be more cylindrical, perhaps even wider at the top than at the base. It’s obvious that my hat wasn’t made here, nor was it made for this market.

Back to the coat-check lady: When I came back the second time to retrieve my stuff, she asked me where I found my hat. She went on to say something about a dog, but I didn’t fully understand. I supposed she asked me if it were dog fur, but maybe she thought a dog brought it to me. Sorry: it clean got by me. Anyway, I assumed she was teasing me about dog fur and I assured her it was definitely rabbit.

Maybe one of my readers can clarify this for me. This symbol: @ is commonly called “dog,” so maybe it’s also slang for that kind of hat. On the other hand, one of my co-workers years ago told me repeatedly that my hat looked to her like I had a cat on top of my head. I dunno. Maybe it's time for an upgrade.

--- Late-breaking news ---
My friend and neighbor Elena Napier reports, "Some years ago Russian market was flooded with hats and coats made in China of fur unknown origin and there were rumors that it is a dog fur. Since than people call some unknown furs 'собака'."