BG: I'm a waitress in a small restaurant (well... I am when I'm home during college breaks). I also have a unique accent for where I live, even though no one else in my family has this accent. I have no idea how I got it, but the most likely guesses are that it's a combination of my grandparents' accents or because I had ear infections as a child and didn't learn to speak properly at first.
I'm fairly used to getting comments about my accent. Most of the time it's a "So, where are you from?" sort of thing, and then the customer is always surprised when I tell them that I'm local and I'm not sure where the accent came from. I've heard every sort of possible guess for what it sounds like- just about every European country, Japanese, South African, Egyptian, French Canadian, Southern American, Australian, etc.
I've even had customers return with friends and demand that I say something, just so their friend will hear my accent because "It's so cool!" (Sorry, being ordered to speak like a trained dog diminishes that compliment.) Also the usual SCs who get huffy when they're the 9th table to ask me about it that day and I'm trying to take their order.
But these two customers were definitely the weirdest...
SC: Hey, I know we already ordered from someone else but can we take a look at the menu again?
Me: Sure, let me bring one out to you.
I grab a menu and return to see the two of them in deep conversation, and glancing over my way as I approach.
Me: (hand them the menu) There you go.
SC: Thanks. Hey listen, where are you from?
Me: Oh, I live in [the next town over]
SC: [town], England?
Me: No, just in the next town over.
SC: But you have an accent!
Me: Yeah. I'm not quite sure where it came from.
SC: But you sound British!
Me: A lot of people think so, but I've lived in the area my whole life.
SC: Are you in witness protection?
Me:
SC: Is that why you can't tell us where you're from? Because you're in witness protection?
I... what!? He was completely serious too! I don't know how "Telling you about my accent" suddenly translates to "Lying and in witness protection".
I'm fairly used to getting comments about my accent. Most of the time it's a "So, where are you from?" sort of thing, and then the customer is always surprised when I tell them that I'm local and I'm not sure where the accent came from. I've heard every sort of possible guess for what it sounds like- just about every European country, Japanese, South African, Egyptian, French Canadian, Southern American, Australian, etc.
I've even had customers return with friends and demand that I say something, just so their friend will hear my accent because "It's so cool!" (Sorry, being ordered to speak like a trained dog diminishes that compliment.) Also the usual SCs who get huffy when they're the 9th table to ask me about it that day and I'm trying to take their order.
But these two customers were definitely the weirdest...
SC: Hey, I know we already ordered from someone else but can we take a look at the menu again?
Me: Sure, let me bring one out to you.
I grab a menu and return to see the two of them in deep conversation, and glancing over my way as I approach.
Me: (hand them the menu) There you go.
SC: Thanks. Hey listen, where are you from?
Me: Oh, I live in [the next town over]
SC: [town], England?
Me: No, just in the next town over.
SC: But you have an accent!
Me: Yeah. I'm not quite sure where it came from.
SC: But you sound British!
Me: A lot of people think so, but I've lived in the area my whole life.
SC: Are you in witness protection?
Me:
SC: Is that why you can't tell us where you're from? Because you're in witness protection?
I... what!? He was completely serious too! I don't know how "Telling you about my accent" suddenly translates to "Lying and in witness protection".
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