I was shopping one day and came across a great special on Parmesan, you had to buy a kilo block but I thought at the rate we were eating the stuff, non problemma! I picked up my enormous block of Parmesan and finished the shopping imagining all the tasty eating ahead of me. Now, usually at the counter I have little to no idea what the cashier is talking about, but I have mastered the question: blah blah blah borsa? Which translates as "would you like a bag?". In the supermarkets the bags are 5 Euro cents so everyone usually brings their own (one bag equating to about one red frog, at least that used to be the conversion). So at the counter I can say buongiorno and then answer the bag question - or even preempt the bag question! Right, so I arrived at the counter with my purchases and had a conversation somewhat like this:
Cheese taker: buongiorno
Me: buongiorno
Cheese taker: blah blah blah some word starting with tess blah blah?
Me: (I wonder if this is another word for bag?...I'll assume so). No grazie, ho borsa.
Cheese taker: blah blah blah blah. (Places the cheese under the counter)
Me: (but, but, but....where's my cheese? I want the cheese!!! I like the cheese!!!)
I then proceeded to wander off in bewilderment...and a kilo of cheese else where. I related this conversation to Marito later that night and he was stumped as well...as was his French office mate when he heard the story the next day. What possible question could I have answered that meant I got no cheese? I proceeded to read the dictionary under the tess section and came across the word that made it a little clearer. The conversation again:
Cheese taker: buongiorno
Me: buongiorno
Cheese taker: do you have the magical card (tessera) that will grant you this cheese at this extra special price?
Me: No, I have some bags here, thanks.
Cheese taker: (Hmmm, crazy lady). You need this magic card to obtain the cheese, therefore, no cheese for you!
"No cheese for you", is now a common expression between Marito and me for those moments that are just Italian.
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ReplyDeleteI think that you should go back to the deli to discuss what happened. I know, you'll say your Italian isn't expressive enough to communicate the dilemma, but I think you can do it if you prepare for the conversation, and perhaps take some diagrams.
ReplyDeleteLife *should* be full of crazy incidents like this one, but you need to revisit the scene in order to obtain closure, as well as cheese.