The embarrassing, educational experience of getting "corrected" by a local

[AuSammy]

My +1 not listening correctly to the guide in Rio who told us it was ok to use the subway but never get off as station xx_, took the train and got off at xx_. Walking in the street near the station that looked a bit suss, a local approached and said I think you got off at the wrong stop, best you go back to the station.

 

[drron]

yes that's exactly how it seems to me. And I always try at least a word or two out of respect. I can now say thank you in a LOT of languages, including Finnish (kiitos), Lithuanian (ačiū), Latvian (paldies) and Estonian (aitäh)

A long story but when I was at Uni I could say By Airmail in over 60 languages.
Never really found a use for that talent.

 

[Quickstatus]

never had bimbimbap properly i

If I had perfectly separated food in front of me and some muppet came up and mixed it for me, I'd have a fit.

Exactly, Mrs QS refuses to combine Bibimbap because she does not want to mess up the presentation. If waiter came up and suggested she do it the proper way, said waiter will be given the eye roll treatment.

I've never understood the art in cappuccino and food. It all goes into a food processor called the stomach. So messing up the Bibimbap presentation is almost therapeutic like a small child happily demolishing a carefully built Lego set. So I get the eye roll treatment as well

 

[AIRwin]

A long story but when I was at Uni I could say By Airmail in over 60 languages.
Never really found a use for that talent.

Now try email?

 

[Major]

In New Orleans the hotel doorman insisted on calling a cab. We said we weren't worried about getting lost and his response was that he wasn't worried about that either. He was worried about us getting dead!

I had a similar experience in Houston. Asked the doorman about a good steakhouse and he insisted on calling a cab. Also gave me his card and strongly suggested I ring him when I had finished and he would arrange a pick up for me.

 

[SYD]

We’re currently in NYC and still chuckle to ourselves when we recall trying to get coffee on our first visit here years ago.

Back then, it was pretty hard to find decent espresso coffee but we’d been tipped off that Dean and DeLuca was reasonably reliable. We happened to pass one and popped in. The conversion went something like this:

SYD+1: “Can I get a long black”
Me:
Server (young woman): “Ya wanna whaaat?”

At this point I was hoping the earth would open up and swallow me. But it didn’t, so I started crab walking toward the door while SYD+1 was blissfully unaware of the faux pas and was providing guidance on how to make a “long black” (espresso with extra water…)…

A lady in line says, “Are you from Seattle? That’s how they order coffee - lots of instructions”!

Anyway, the educational bit is to ask for an Americano…