Hi everyone
I thought I'd take this opportunity due to my most recent (but no doubt absolutely not last) account of speaking Japanese and being met with absolute insanity!
ワッパーバーガーふたつをください. たんぴん で. いじょうで. 持ち帰りで お願いします.
I skipped breakfast, no lunch so felt like I'd catch up on calories by ordering 2 Whopper Burgers on their own to take out / go. I was met with "1 cheeseburger?" so I repeated my order...FOUR times and telling them I didn't want 1 cheeseburger, I wanted 2 Whoppers. Eventually the manager came over, I repeated my order and Abracadabra, as if by magic, the order was processed without further pain.
Another occasion in a supermarket, I asked for 1 bag, a plastic bag for my food. The woman replied..."3 bags?" I repeated, "1 bag please"..."3 bags...you want 3 bags?"..."No, only 1 bag"..."3?", "1"..."3?"...."1 (holding up one finger, stroking it up and down). 1 bag please."..."3?"....at this point in English I shouted "ONE BAG!". The man behind me was laughing away knowing this was insane.
Another time I visited McDonalds. Not only did I get my Big Mac, I also got all the items my fingers had accidentally touched on the counter menu as I was leaning in to give my order. That was a real what moment.
I'm wondering, does anyone else have any examples of things going absolutely iNsAnE when speaking fair to good Japanese to Japanese people, i.e, using THEIR OWN LANGUAGE to communicate with them? My theory is, it blows their logic circuits to hear Japanese coming out of a face that isn't Japanese.
Anyone got anything?
I thought I'd take this opportunity due to my most recent (but no doubt absolutely not last) account of speaking Japanese and being met with absolute insanity!
ワッパーバーガーふたつをください. たんぴん で. いじょうで. 持ち帰りで お願いします.
I skipped breakfast, no lunch so felt like I'd catch up on calories by ordering 2 Whopper Burgers on their own to take out / go. I was met with "1 cheeseburger?" so I repeated my order...FOUR times and telling them I didn't want 1 cheeseburger, I wanted 2 Whoppers. Eventually the manager came over, I repeated my order and Abracadabra, as if by magic, the order was processed without further pain.
Another occasion in a supermarket, I asked for 1 bag, a plastic bag for my food. The woman replied..."3 bags?" I repeated, "1 bag please"..."3 bags...you want 3 bags?"..."No, only 1 bag"..."3?", "1"..."3?"...."1 (holding up one finger, stroking it up and down). 1 bag please."..."3?"....at this point in English I shouted "ONE BAG!". The man behind me was laughing away knowing this was insane.
Another time I visited McDonalds. Not only did I get my Big Mac, I also got all the items my fingers had accidentally touched on the counter menu as I was leaning in to give my order. That was a real what moment.
I'm wondering, does anyone else have any examples of things going absolutely iNsAnE when speaking fair to good Japanese to Japanese people, i.e, using THEIR OWN LANGUAGE to communicate with them? My theory is, it blows their logic circuits to hear Japanese coming out of a face that isn't Japanese.
Anyone got anything?