Dave’s Fun in France
We were able to have some fun in France courtesy of learning enough of the language to start conversations.
In Roussillon, a hill town in Provence reminiscent of Sedona, we had hiked the Le Sentier des Ocres park enjoying the gorgeous, majestic red ocher cliffs on a picture perfect blue sky day. After the hike, we stopped at a little restaurant in town for lunch where we were seated on a patio with a scenic view of the area. Our server was a cute local girl who, it turns out, had a wicked sense of humor.
Our table was next to the dessert case and Dave had his eye on a particular piece of cake on the display. When the group at the table across from us had finished their lunch, our server took the plate of pastries over to their table for them to choose a dessert. Since I had tried to learn French in preparation for this trip, he asked me how he would ask for that cake in French. When our server was replacing the plate in the display case, Dave’s piece of cake was still on it. Dave flagged down our server and, as I had instructed him, informed her of his desire for that piece of cake. She laughed and nodded and they seemed to come to an understanding that she wouldn’t give it to anyone else.
When we had finished our lunch, Dave got up to go take some photos. While he was gone, the server came over and winked at me, so I knew she was up to something. She then took the plate of pastries into the kitchen and returned with a plate that she set at Dave’s place at the table. On this plate was the tiniest sliver of “his” cake with a large dollop of whipped cream. Then she left. He returned to the table, sat down, and noticed his dessert had arrived. Upon closer look, he realized how small it was and was visibly surprised. Once our server saw his reaction, she came by, laughing at the joke she had played on him. We all shared a good chuckle and then she brought him the remainder of his piece of cake.
Our fun in France with this server is a small example of how your European experience can be much more fun if you try to learn the language and engage with the local people. A future post will provide information on how you can accomplish these goals.
