Welcome to America. Not my usual start to my blog but I couldn't help but think that when I left the bagel store with my two children in tow. A week ago we stopped at a local bagel store that we love for a special treat before school. We walked in, like so many times before. "May I have a plain bagel with sausage, egg and cheese please...(and pointing to a muffin I ask) and what kind of muffin is that?" The gentleman behind the counter went and got a plain bagel and went to the back and repeated the order to the cook (I assume) and came back to the counter where me and my two children were standing. Again, pointing to the same muffin in the case, I say "Can you tell me what kind of muffin this is?" He looked quizzical. "Muffin...what kind is it?"...He went to the muffin case, picked up the muffin and walked away saying, "butter?"....
"No...I don't want that muffin. I want to know what kind it is"...at which point he went and put the muffin back and stared at me...I am thinking I need to try a different approach. OK. I point at that same muffin and say "Is it cinnamon and sugar?" at which point he says "AAAHHH" and goes back over to the bagels and pulled out a cinnamon and sugar bagel and says "butter?"...UGH. "NO" I replied. "I don't want a bagel. I'm not even sure I want a muffin anymore. Can you tell me what flavor this bagel is?" at which point he confesses, "No comprehende' englaeso". Oh, now I get it. He has absolutely no idea what I am saying. So I get smart and said "does that man on the grill speak english?" More funny faces. I point to the back where the cook is cooking and say "English?" He says "no". OK. Two men in the store. Neither one speaks english and of course, my language was French, not spanish. HHmmmm...need a different approach - as my italian dander is getting ruffled. I pointed at the muffin and said "FLAVOR" real slow because we all know that when you speak English to someone who doesn't speak the language, if you say it loud and slow, somehow they will get it. "No" was his reply. OK, I start pointing to everything one at a time that were clearly evident as to what they were. "Plain....(pointing to the plain bagel) - cinnamon (pointing to the cinnamon one)...chocolate (pointing to the chocolate muffin...cherry (pointing to the cherry muffin)" then once again I pointed to the mystery muffin and say shrug my shoulders as if to say "What is it"? He says "ah!" as he rushes off to the back. Now I am wondering what on earth he is doing. He comes back about two minutes later with literally a CASE of muffins in the box that they came in and points to the side that says "pumpkin" and he had the biggest smile ever! "Yes! Pumpkin!" "Thank You" I tell him as I try to figure out how to tell him I don't want a pumpkin muffin! He goes in the back again and comes out and I say "No thank you...just the bagel" pointing in the back. He smiled. The cook brings out the bagel and I get some drinks and a coffee and he rings me up and the total is $5.33 (whew - minimum $5 charge and I have NO money). I hand him a credit card at which point he got that sad, sullen look on his face AGAIN and shrugged his shoulders and says "cash?" "No, I don't have cash - I only have a credit card". I am, at this point, looking at the clock realizing that we are now late for school. "Change?" he asks? "No (I repeat) I only have a credit card" and he says "first day" and I take the credit card and take him by the hand over to the credit card machine and I say "I show you"...
I swipe the card and say "see?" then pointed to the green "yes" button and say "push, see?" and then I go to the register with him and point to the sale amount and walk back over to the credit card machine and push 5.33 and say "see?" then pointed to the green yes button and say "push, see?" and waited. The receipt printed and he let out a sigh of relief and says "Yes!, Thank YOU!" and I sign the receipt and show him how to open the drawer to put the receipt away and take care of the next customer who was standing there the whole time smiling.
We took our stuff and walked out..."Someone in there should be able to speak english" I announce to my kids. "Well, mommy, maybe he just got here" says Rae. "Rae, I think if I were in Italy and spoke NO Italian I would be hard pressed to get a job". I thought to myself...once again...you can't make this stuff up!
Until next time...
"No...I don't want that muffin. I want to know what kind it is"...at which point he went and put the muffin back and stared at me...I am thinking I need to try a different approach. OK. I point at that same muffin and say "Is it cinnamon and sugar?" at which point he says "AAAHHH" and goes back over to the bagels and pulled out a cinnamon and sugar bagel and says "butter?"...UGH. "NO" I replied. "I don't want a bagel. I'm not even sure I want a muffin anymore. Can you tell me what flavor this bagel is?" at which point he confesses, "No comprehende' englaeso". Oh, now I get it. He has absolutely no idea what I am saying. So I get smart and said "does that man on the grill speak english?" More funny faces. I point to the back where the cook is cooking and say "English?" He says "no". OK. Two men in the store. Neither one speaks english and of course, my language was French, not spanish. HHmmmm...need a different approach - as my italian dander is getting ruffled. I pointed at the muffin and said "FLAVOR" real slow because we all know that when you speak English to someone who doesn't speak the language, if you say it loud and slow, somehow they will get it. "No" was his reply. OK, I start pointing to everything one at a time that were clearly evident as to what they were. "Plain....(pointing to the plain bagel) - cinnamon (pointing to the cinnamon one)...chocolate (pointing to the chocolate muffin...cherry (pointing to the cherry muffin)" then once again I pointed to the mystery muffin and say shrug my shoulders as if to say "What is it"? He says "ah!" as he rushes off to the back. Now I am wondering what on earth he is doing. He comes back about two minutes later with literally a CASE of muffins in the box that they came in and points to the side that says "pumpkin" and he had the biggest smile ever! "Yes! Pumpkin!" "Thank You" I tell him as I try to figure out how to tell him I don't want a pumpkin muffin! He goes in the back again and comes out and I say "No thank you...just the bagel" pointing in the back. He smiled. The cook brings out the bagel and I get some drinks and a coffee and he rings me up and the total is $5.33 (whew - minimum $5 charge and I have NO money). I hand him a credit card at which point he got that sad, sullen look on his face AGAIN and shrugged his shoulders and says "cash?" "No, I don't have cash - I only have a credit card". I am, at this point, looking at the clock realizing that we are now late for school. "Change?" he asks? "No (I repeat) I only have a credit card" and he says "first day" and I take the credit card and take him by the hand over to the credit card machine and I say "I show you"...
I swipe the card and say "see?" then pointed to the green "yes" button and say "push, see?" and then I go to the register with him and point to the sale amount and walk back over to the credit card machine and push 5.33 and say "see?" then pointed to the green yes button and say "push, see?" and waited. The receipt printed and he let out a sigh of relief and says "Yes!, Thank YOU!" and I sign the receipt and show him how to open the drawer to put the receipt away and take care of the next customer who was standing there the whole time smiling.
We took our stuff and walked out..."Someone in there should be able to speak english" I announce to my kids. "Well, mommy, maybe he just got here" says Rae. "Rae, I think if I were in Italy and spoke NO Italian I would be hard pressed to get a job". I thought to myself...once again...you can't make this stuff up!
Until next time...
