Travel Reference
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line complain for you. But if that doesn't work and it looks
as though you are being totally ignored for some reason,
try
.
will just compound the problem and make you no
friends, so don't even consider it.
SITUATION 4
You are at a
traiteur
in your new neighbourhood, and the
spread of dishes looks so delicious, you think you might
like to patronise the shop regularly. After ordering, you
realise that the slice of meat you have been given has too
much gristle and fat for your taste. When you politely say
so to the
vendeuse
(saleslady) and ask her for another slice,
you notice that her lips are pursed and her demeanour has
turned frigid. What might you have done differently?
You could have taken a look at the slices of meat and,
after noticing that they were fatty, leave the shop and
go look for another
traiteur
, where the meats sold are
leaner.
Nothing. It is your right as a customer to choose the items
you wish to buy, and it is the
vendeuse
's job to give you
what you choose. If she is not happy about this, that is
her problem, not yours.
Instead of saying that you didn't like her original selection,
you might have said, “Oh, I'm so sorry to bother you, but
might I have that slice to the left instead? Thank you so
much, that's very kind.”
In your best French, you could have explained to the
woman that fatty foods are harmful to one's health,
which is why you stopped eating oily food years ago.
She would have surely understood then—after all, who
isn't concerned about health issues these days?
Comments
By asking the
vendeuse
to exchange the piece she had given
you for another one, you probably made her feel that her
initial choice was not good enough—this is not acceptable to
the French. If you want to have any of the items exchanged,
you needn't explain or put the woman in the wrong. Thus,
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