Miscommunication

One time, I went out to Lotte (sort of like a Wal-Mart) with a friend to stock up on some much-needed things. During the process, we both decided we were extremely hungry and wanted to get some food. We walked around and landed in a hole in the wall restaurant that was packed. This is usually my favorite type of restaurant, but they can be in problem when you have no idea how to speak or read Chinese. Most places are pretty good when it comes to having menus that are translated into English or at least has pictures, but when it comes to the real deal, they don’t really have the need to do that.

I tried to communicate with the owner but the chances of that actually happening where extremely slim, so I just looked around for a menu, hoping to find pictures. All I found was a menu on the wall with prices next to Chinese characters. I had no way of knowing what was what, so I just pointed and prayed that I would get something edible and appealing.

Waiting, I watched as other tables got incredible looking noodles, awesome plates of chicken and vegetables, and what seemed to be noodle soups. I started to get excited when all of a sudden the waiter walks up to my table with a plate. What he put down in front of me was actually quite disappointing but extremely comical. On my plate was a pile of sautéed-salted peanuts. Don’t get me wrong. They were delicious. But not what I wanted or was craving.

I looked over to my friend and started laughing. Had the chef sent these out as some sort of appetizer on the house or was this actually my meal? I sat there for a few minutes waiting for more food, when all of a sudden the waiter comes and puts a huge plate of noodles in front of me. They looked and smelled delicious. I excitedly exclaimed my “thank yous” and was about to dig in when the waiter apologetically comes back, takes my plate, gives it to another table, and comes back to apologize again. It turns out that he had messed up and given me another table’s order of noodles. So the peanuts HAD been what I ordered.

Oh well. I got my peanuts to go and headed back home. Guess you can’t win them all.