03 January 2011

My Husband's Experience at A Well Known Fast Food "Restaurant": Poland and USA

You cannot grasp the excitement my husband had when he saw the sign, of all things, in the Rynek at my home town in Poland.  Yes, that's right, he was excited to see a very well known fast food "restaurant" while in Poland (I won't say the name because, for one, I don't want to do free advertising for them as I can't stand their food, and for two, I don't want them thinking I am tarnishing their image somehow and then being sued or something). 

'I suppose it was something familiar to him and he perhaps wanted to see how wrong we Poles could get this American institution.  The "restaurant" was spotlessly clean inside.  On the menu was fried cucumber (pickle) and the slogan was one not then used in the USA, but which it turns out, was being tested in the European market and is now the slogan in the USA as well.

The cashier did not speak any English and my husband had not yet learned any Polish.  I was surprised because though I started to translate for him, they communicated fine without me.  She took his order correctly, they exchanged the proper amount of currency, and we put our tray to our table.  When my husband looked at the burger he ordered, he exclaimed "I had to travel all the way to Poland to get the burger in the picture?!" 

The funniest part about that was that when we returned to the USA, we stopped by a location by our house to get something to eat and our order was incorrect on the amount charged, change given, and the items we received.  My husband went inside and asked the guy behind the counter who took our order. 

When the person who took our order came out front (I'll never forget this because I, as well as the manager who had gone to high school with my husband, almost fell on the floor laughing), my husband asked "How many languages do you speak?"  The employee answered "One, English".  My husband exclaimed "So do I!  I just came back from Poland yesterday.  I don't speak Polish, the cashier at their (insert name of chain) I went to didn't speak English, and yet I got my order correct and it looked like the picture!  What's your excuse?!" 

Of all the memories of our Honeymoon in Poland, this is the one he tends to share first.

2 comments:

Rachel Elizabeth said...

When we went to Italy they had the more upscale MickeyD's ever. We stood there gawking at the menu and laughing because its so different from the American ones.

Unknown said...

;) VERY different! The one I went to (not naming names of the business myself) in Paris was SHOCKINGLY different!