Yeah, that mimics our experience in France, where speaking your pleasantries in French (greetings, please and thank you, etc.) goes a long way towards getting good service in English. In Germany, though, I even speak some German, and with not-terrible pronunciation, but I’d still get answered in English basically almost 100% of the time even if I opened in German. Only one time did I pass, when I went to an art museum and had to go back to the kiosk to get an English program after having been handed a German one.
1 Like
It also mimics my experience with communicating in the Czech Republic.
I mean they understand that people who aren’t Czech are gonna suck at speaking it but at least the effort followed by saying “Mluvíš anglicky?” (Do you speak English?) is enough to get people who speak merely passable English to help you.
I’m taking classes now but have no intent to be fluent. My goal is to speak passable Czech. Anything better is extra credit.
If I ever have a pressing need to become French, I’m going with this.
Demonstration at 2:43 if timestamps don’t work.
We’ve ruined sushi. I blame Trump.
https://www.heb.com/product-detail/h-e-b-sushiya-firecracker-roll/1477057
1 Like
At first, I was concerned that the Hot Cheetos might be ruining the ancient sushi culture, but then I saw that it came with “traditional ginger and wasabi” and all my fears were put to rest 
3 Likes
Little known historical fact that Flaming Hot Cheetos were first created during the Ashikaga shogunate and predate most of what we now consider to be traditional sushi.
4 Likes
Here’s my random French experience. My French is super rusty, but at it’s peak, was good enough to hold a casual conversation without much difficulty or finding myself translating everything in my head. But that was a long time ago.
In the last 10 yrs, when I’ve been to France and I start speaking my shitty French, generally the other person will just switch to English. On the other hand, when I go to Montreal, and I speak my shitty French, they just keep on going in French. I’m assuming they’re just trolling me, but maybe there is some other explanation.
Kroger sushi is already so far removed from the real thing, adding hot cheetos doesn’t rustle my jimmies at all.
4 Likes
Montreal is very bilingual. They literally invented the greeting “bonjour hi”.
2 Likes
I know. They all speak English; they just seem to like fucking with me.
I should add these are all conversations where the other person starts first in French. So, I’d just respond in French out of courtesy and to get a bit of practice. At some point, I figured they would just convert to English for efficiency, but that seldom happened.
I’m pretty sure that’s because Montreal French is shitty French. They probably thought you were a sophisticate from Europe.
1 Like
1 Like
An otherwise boring place place by me used to have Montreal smoked meat. It was amazing. Then they took if off the menu and went full boring. So annoying.
How ironic. Can’t be played in Canada.
4 Likes
that’s what happens when you don’t live in a free speech bastion like USA #1
Can you play this one?
I’ve read that some Quebecois were offended by the sketch.
Montreal smoked meat is legit. I go to Schwartz’s at least twice per trip. If I lived there, I’d probably be dead by 50 between that and the poutine.
Don’t love smoked meat so Schwartz’s isn’t amazing imo, but poutine at La Banquise was better than about any fancy restaurant I’ve ever been to.
We went at like midnight and there were ~20 people in line.
1 Like
schwartz’s > jean talon > la banquise >>>> montreal bagels.
but montreal has lots of fine dining at reasonable CAD prices too.
Aren’t they always angry?