Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1908-11-11
A LESSON IN SPANISH
How Tourists In Mexico Wrestle
With the Language.
A QUEER RESTAURANT ORDER.
The Way an American Woman, Shock
ed n Waiter With a Demand For n
Dish That the Cock Would Not Pre-


Dish That the Cook Would Not Pre-
pare.
IT'S no wonder that men who 80
from the States down 10 Mexico on
business do not get along better" said
returned New Yorker. They don't
study Spanish as they should. In the
clubs half Of the stock stories are
about these half educated Americans.
1T was 'n 4 restaurant where only
Spanish Is spoken that a party of
American tourists assembled. There
were woman and her two daughters
and. OF course. the attendant and pa
icnt papa with the wad
let me order said the mater. 1
want r. use my spanish Aud she pro-
cCcdod 20 pull out a handy book Of
conversation. Let me see. scanning
/ The menu: we want oysters. I'm sure.
\ small FRY for each would be Just the
thing
Running her fingers through the
leaves. she found that chiquita' means
small and 'frita' means fry Perfect
" simple. 'Chiquita fritas' would
mean small fries She held up her
fingers 70 indicate four and said com
| pl0ccntly 10 the expectant and polite
waiter:
'Chiquitas fritas'
The walters eyes bulged out, and
his Latin polteness got 4 shock. oh,
no. sonora he cried as he backed
away; no chiQuitaS fritas"
why notT returned the patron.
Don't you have 'emY for IN her sur
prise she had fallen back on her yer
nacular. Then she remembered her
role and consulted her book
Nothing doing No end Of gesticu-
latiOns on the part Of the waiter.
Nice country where one can't get
fried OYSTERS piped the woman. and
she added, 4 wonder whyT
You can get 'em. ma'am.' said a
mans raucors voice at an adjoining
table. He continued: You ordered
fried babies. and they don't serve EN-
in this part of the republic. The
word "cHiquitas" means babies. a
term Of ondearment. but you're all O.
X. rs TO the fritas If you had asked
for "ostras fritas" the order would
have gone through all right
and she ordered EN-. though she
looked daggers 1T the stranger, who
was New Yorker and had lived in
Mexico for twenty years.
at was the same sort Of woman"
continued the traveller. who tried to
air her Spanish by asking the amount
Of her bin after she had taken her
dinner In 4 restaurant in the City Of
Mexico. With 4 bland smile she ad-
dressed the head waiter with Como
muchoT intending to ask how much.
Now, the word como not only
means how but also 4 eat SO that
the woman had remarked TO the wait
or, 1 eat 4 good deal This was as
much rs 10 say that the dinner was so
GOOD that she had eaten all or more
than she ought In fact. It was a
compliment and such n compliment as
IS highly appreciated in any Latin
country.
with deep bow the servitor ex-
pressed his delight that his humble
viands should have found appreciation
in the sight OF the most excellent
sonora. Ii was expressed in the
choice phrases that so really lend
themselves on such occasions through
the CaStiliai tongue.
But my lady didn't understand n
word % the lingo. She meant bust
ness. and she repeated In n louder
tone: Como mucho? Como muchoY'
She was sure OF her correct Spanish.
but somehow she couldn't get the wait
er 10 do anything but bow and scrape
and smile.
THE puzzle was solved when the
proprietor. hearing the excited voices,
entered and learned that the lady
merely wanted to pay her bill. Had
she known that not Como muchoY
but Que es Ia cuentay cWhat is the
account?O Is the correct expression she
would have been saved trouble and
modification.
Time and again United States con
suls have set forth In federal publica-
lions the advantages Of Il real knowl-
edge Of Spanish TO the business man.
The need is growing more emphatic
with every day. as our relations in
NAeNG sAAt SEOWluS WIFI MEXICO Only
But ] guess that fedora! publications
don't hit the people al large as a gen
eral rule
"One OF the easiest ways 10 learn n
foreign language is to read good nov
els in that tongue. Yen got 80 inter
estcd In the story that You just have to
go on TO the end 10 learn whether the
hero and heroine come cut all right
students Of Spanish don't adopt
that method in New York. guess. for
you can't find any Spanish novels on
The secondhand bookstore tables Up
Or down or across the city The only
specimens ! have found have been
Spanish novels translated from the
French novels. 1t is strange, too. for
there are many excellent novels nova
days by Spanish writers.
'Of course an instructor is needed
to obtain the correct pronunciation but
on visiting Mexico with good. ready
knowledge If she language you can
soon acQuisn the needed pronunciation
In fact. YEA have to do ii In order Ia
get along New York sun
Any coward ran fight Il hattlr when
he's sure - Winning. hui :ivc n g. the