Sinclair Martial Arts in Orillia, Ontario, is next door to a cafe, so they embellished their sign to make the amenities of the neighborhood clear. The owner of the school is named Ian Sinclair, which explains the tartan yin and yang. He said,
I don't know why it is that every place I have taught tai chi in Canada has been next to a cafe or pastry shop that serves chai tea.
In Vancouver, it was Bon Mangé, or Grabbajabba, or Starbucks. In Orillia, it was Euphoria. Now, we are next to Patilero.
Is it coincidence or synchronicity? Do I subconsciously choose pun-ready locations?
It's a clever pun, but as you could have guessed, it sparked a discussion about the habit of redundancy in using foreign terms, because "chai" means "tea." At home, "chai" means tea with cardamon, while "spice tea" means tea with cinnamon, and "tea" means that sweet stuff in the refrigerator. A plain cup is "hot tea." But I was told at an Indian restaurant, "chai" means plain tea, while "masala chai" means tea with cardamon (and other spices). Of course, being pedantic only ruins the pun in the sign. -via reddit