I tried to order Coffee with cream and sugar. This has happened before. Lately, I've just ordered mochas because they're tastier, what with all that chocolate, but today, I wanted coffee with cream and sugar.It took 5 minutes back and forth explaining, questioning, demonstrating, guessing, English, Hongul, Hongul, English.
"Kopi with, uh, k'urim and solt'ang.""Sugar?" she asked. "And k'urim," I replied. She tilted her head confused. "Cafe Mocha?" "No, um, a, uh, kopi Americano, solt'ang, k'urim," I told her, miming with my hands a cup of coffee, pouring sugar, then pouring cream.
She was still confused and shook her head. I said, "Uyu?" which means milk. She said, "Oh, latte." I said, "Anio," which means no. And demonstrated with my empty hands again, saying, "Coffee, uyu, solt'ang," then made a mixing motion.
This went on and on with laughing, confusion, apologies, pauses to explain in each others language. I said, "Ah! Maxim kopi?" Maxim is a kind of coffee that comes in individual packs with sugar and creamer. She nodded, "Ne." I made the shape of a Maxim packet with my two pointers and thumbs. She nodded and said, "Latte."
"Oh my god," I whispered in my head.
I told her, "Hot coffee, chowayo uyu," which means cold and milk, so I suppose it means cold milk, but you don't always know this is true in a foreign language, "and sugar." I said, "Not steamed milk," and shook my head, pointed to the espresso machine, and mimed with my hands again the process. "Kopi, uyu, soltang." I said,"No machines." She nodded.
"A small cup?" I asked. She lifted a tiny espresso pitcher. I said, "Ne! Ne!" pointed and said, "Uyu." She put the pitcher down. She said, "Hot kopi, cold milk," she looked confused by this, "sugar?" I said, "Yes."
Eventually we agreed on something and she began steaming milk. But my coffee came out to my liking, so it's great!
... have you ever heard this...?
Dude this guy is trying to steal your thunder: http://www.guitarpoet.com/home.html - I think you should sue him for slander. Anyway, I'm glad you got your cup of coffee - maybe you can work it out (if the coffee shop is in some proximity) to where you can just put up a number of fingers and get what you want. Now that's language efficiency. Pam and I are all up in Washington, DC, and we went to ground zero, and all along this trip, we haven't seen any 9/11 protesters? What's the deal? It's making me feel like this whole thing was a mistake! Ok, maybe not, but really, I would like some validation. There's all this talk about bravery and minorities of one and whatnot, but do people really have so much against human ingenuity as to believe that steel-framed buildings could possibly collapse upon themselves after one measly plane crash? Ah, well. Guess that's why I'm not on FOX news. I am quite aware, to answer your question, of the "Who's on first?" gag, having seen Rain Man multiple times (were it not for that, though - a revelation would have befallen me this night). Look up Terence McKenna if you're bored one night. I'm glad you got to have your cup of coffee - I'm guessing it's much easier to buy liquor than bread over there. Keep the rockin' and the updates coming.
ReplyDeleteLike I said.... keep going back!!! Then you won't even have to say anything ;-)
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