A Brazilian Reasons Not To Correct Me
This is definitely one of those interactions I don’t think I’ll ever forget. I work in a semi-fancy Brazilian restaurant. I am from Brazil myself. I am used to people pronouncing things wrong because Portuguese is a weird language and not many people in the US speak it. I am happy to teach people how to correctly say menu items if they are clearly struggling.
One of the first customers I had when I first started working was a middle-aged American couple. Everything starts out normal; I get their drinks, talk to them, and find out it’s only their second date. I plan on treating them to a free dessert.
When it’s time to order an appetizer, the woman asks for something I have never heard of in my life. Typically, I can guess what they’re trying to say, but I am completely lost here.
Me: “I’m sorry, I don’t think we have anything by that name. Did you see it on the menu?”
She then points to the word “coxinha.”
Me: “Oh, the coxinha, of course!”
I pronounce it correctly, of course. Little do I know, I am about to get lectured about how I am pronouncing my own cultural dish wrong.
Customer: “That’s not how you pronounce it! My brother is married to a Brazilian woman, so I know! They probably say it differently in Spanish.”
She assumed I was Mexican. She attempts to say a simple phrase in Portuguese that comes out as a barely legible mix of words from Spanish and Portuguese. After entertaining this more-Brazilian-than-me customer for about ten minutes, I finally break the news.
Me: “Ma’am, I’m Brazilian.”
She falls silent. The only defense she has is:
Customer: “My sister-in-law is probably from a different region in Brazil.”
I just smiled and carried on normally, and when it came time to order their main entrees, she just pointed to everything on the menu.
They left me with a 7% tip. Sorry if I embarrassed you, lady!
Question of the Week
Tell us your story about a customer who couldn't understand the most simple concept.
