It's really hard to describe this unintended lesson.

But the skill it takes to translate hey, how you doing? is the equivalent of a random person saying those words and Joey from "Friends" saying those words.

Somehow you have to convey that.

The best equivalency I think of is brother/sister.

A white American calling someone brother/sister, you can assume they are of actual blood relation.

An African American calling someone brother/sister, you can only guess they mean it in the literal sense or in a cultural sense.

And the thing I learned that is most interesting, is that language--no, writers use language that is absolutely baked into their culture to convey their meaning.

I kind of understood this whenever I would consume British media.

As an American, yes even as a Black American, I got the differences, the nuance. I mean, my folks are from the South. Deep, deep.

I grew up with sayings like they don't believe fat meat is greasy.

I would consume British media, specifically British mysteries and there would be "sayings" or word choices that only a Brit would use.

But because America and Britain are one step removed, I could pick up on those things.