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I carried my spanglish dictionary everywhere I went. These peeps-itos did not speak much English, nor French. I was visiting THEM in THEIR pueblo. When in Rome, wear a toga and add a slice of lime to that cerveza...
I had just finished eating what I thought was the best carne asada ever! (Note to readers: when tour books warn you of the street stands selling tacos, they're just trying to keep a well kept secret hidden to avoid long lines.) And searching my dictionary for something that could mean "good" I came upon the term "gusto". And I knew "mucho" meant a lot.
So I told the man who served me "Mucho Gusto!" He looked at me all weird. Booby and I assumed he thought I told him I wanted to eat him...
Last night was my first class of Spanish 101. Maria, my teacher looked at me and pronounced (oh you guessed it) Mucho Gusto!
Me: "Do I look that tasty?"
Maria: ??? "What? No I am pleased to meet you"
And to you reading me mucho gusto I am happy to MEAT you!
Hahaha! I speak a number languages in various levels of fluency, so I've made some rather odd statements in my time and can sympathize.~
ReplyDeleteAlso, that was a very brave comment that you left at B.'s blog about confessting mistakes you made in the past. I admire you for sharing it, and even more so for growing from it. Brava, darlin'.~
@ Kat: I fully expect to get some hate mail from it, so thanks for admiring the bravado (wait a minute, I said that wrong and can't even blame it on a translation issue!) but thanks for understanding...
ReplyDeleteOMG that is hysterical. Nice to meat you too! Who cares. You were in Mexico. Woohoo.
ReplyDeleteHe probably just put you down as a crazy tourist. Sounds wonderful tho
ReplyDeleteSometimes the street vendors don't always serve you beef. Or what they say is beef. Case in point one night in Brazil during Carnival, I was shitfaced drunk and got some meat sammich from a street vendor. It tasted great. Later that night I found out that it was cat.
ReplyDeletenice to meat you...nice...that could be taken a couple ways, none of which is really good...unless ...oh never mind...smiles.
ReplyDeleteHa! Like me with my broken French!! I think I got that look once when I used Tre Bien together!! I was going for "very little" when describing my ability to speak French but I don't think I suceeded!!
ReplyDeleteOr was that tre petite. Yes, yes, it was tre petite. Still bad?
ReplyDeletehaha to funny i unfortnately have trouble speaking english never mind trying any other language. but cute story keep practicing
ReplyDeleteI have made it a point never EVER to ask what the meat product is that I'm consuming in foreign countries.
ReplyDeleteHence the reason I refuse to go to China.
((shudder))
Also once I asked a Spanish guy to take me to his roof (not his bed).
He actually looked frightened.
Mucho gusto indeed, Miss Nikki.
- B x
Once we went on a family cruise and one of our waiters was from Mexico and spoke Spanish. My dad thought the cruise ship had the most delicious butter ever, and we told him we'd teach him how to say, "This butter is the best I've ever had" in Spanish so he could tell our waiter.
ReplyDeleteWe told him what to say and when the waiter came over he proudly proclaimed in Spanish, "I want to bathe in your butter!" We had a good laugh (dad had told the waiter my sisters and I took Spanish) but I think dad was a little embarrassed :-) Language barriers can make for some interesting stories.
A friend of mine arrived to spain and told all the flirty boys she was "Embarasada" because she assumed, spanglish style, that meant she was embarrassed...the boys practically ran from her. As she was 14 and telling them she was pregnant with an ever so excited smile on her lips. Hah. Love it!
ReplyDelete@ Bouncy: Yeah, the trip was really nice!
ReplyDelete@ Mynx: I am crazy so it's only normal that as a tourist well...
@ OT: Cat! You're the 1st guy I ever heard complaining about eating pus-- haha!
@ Brian: smiles back at'ya!
@ Minute: I don't know it sounds ok to me!
@ Minute: still sounds ok!
@ becca: i am determined to learn it THIS year!
@ Barren: my line at dim sums is: no feet no heads and half the time that has the cute little waitress shushing away with her cart!
@ Cake: bathing in butter... now there's an idea for soft skin!
@ Meow: ha! too funny!
I am terible with foreign languages. I can get the concept but my pronunciation is horrendous.
ReplyDeleteI am part Thai and whenever I attempt to speak Thai to my relatives over the phone I end up telling my aunt that she's insane or referring to my cousins as ghosts.
It's not MY fault I have a crazy aunt and goblin cousins.
@ Nikki, I love eating pus. Just the kind that comes with two legs and not four.
ReplyDeleteIt's very surprising that EVERYONE in socal isn't required to learn both English and Spanish in school.
ReplyDeleteIt' soooo much easier when we are young!
great post! mexican food is so good!!!