Customer is very hard to understand

[BowserKoopa1]

So I was working behind the concession stand a couple of days ago, and a lady comes up to order.
C: Hi I'd like that.
She points at something.
Me: I'm sorry?
She points again.
C: "That" is what I want.
I try to look where she's pointing, but she's pointing left and right.
Me: I don't understand what it is that you want.
C: Bread. The bread.
Ok I work at the concession stand in a movie theatre. We don't sell bread.
Me: Did you say "bread"?
C: Yes, bread.
I still don't get what she's saying, so I point to the popcorn, nachos, hot dogs, and then the pretzels. She keeps shaking her head and saying no. I point to the stuff 3 times, and she still says no.
Me: I'm sorry, Maam, I'm having trouble understanding what it is that you want.
C: Bread.
So once more I point to the stuff, and when I get to the pretzel she finally says that this is what she wants. Well I had already pointed to it several times and she said no, so she really confused me. If she had wanted a pretzel, why didn't she just say "pretzel"? My guess its because she's a customer and she's just a moron. She wasn't rude or anything though.

[AnaKhouri]

I kind of did that once. In Japan.

I don't speak Japanese.

The guy was really nice though, he pointed at everything in the case and said what they were so I learned to order it when I wanted it.

('it', incidentally, was a kind of dough ball on a stick with a sweet brown sauce. I'm not sure of the Romanization, but it sounded like 'chinbo').

[Zoom]

(points) "Look! It's the drummer from Bread!"

[Chromatix]

You can indeed get away with pointing and nodding vigourously in a foreign country. Provided, of course, you at least recognise what the food is, and therefore have some idea of what it will taste like. In Japan I would probably be somewhat okay... in Korea, not so much.

[godaistudios]

I kind of did that once. In Japan.

('it', incidentally, was a kind of dough ball on a stick with a sweet brown sauce. I'm not sure of the Romanization, but it sounded like 'chinbo').

Hmm... sweet brown sauce.

Sounds like Takoyaki?

Chinbo... well, from what I read about that is kinda vulgar.

[Chromatix]

Well, given the similarity in sounds it could as well have been "kimpo". Or something in-between. I don't know enough Japanese to figure it out myself.

[AnaKhouri]

Definitely not takoyaki. It was some kind of fried dough.

Maybe the guy was trying to teach me a dirty word?

[godaistudios]

It's just that Takoyaki would be fried dough balls with Octopus in them, sometimes covered in a teriyaki style sauce and bonito shavings. I've had them, and it was okay, but I don't care for how chewy the Octopus is.

Taiyaki on the other hand = yum!

[dmf]

('it', incidentally, was a kind of dough ball on a stick with a sweet brown sauce. I'm not sure of the Romanization, but it sounded like 'chinbo').

I'm guessing it was Dango. I have to wait for the next festival in town before I can have it again.

[Pairou]

I'm guessing it was Dango. I have to wait for the next festival in town before I can have it again.

I loved the sweet dango back when I lived there. T__T

[Captain Trips]

Back to the "bread" --

Well, technically, pretzels are a kind of bread. Ever make them from scratch? It's basically a bread dough, worked thin and shaped, then briefly boiled, salted, and baked.

Still, doesn't excuse making you point at it three times before she said "that's it."

[Lindsey]

Back to the "bread" --

Well, technically, pretzels are a kind of bread. Ever make them from scratch? It's basically a bread dough, worked thin and shaped, then briefly boiled, salted, and baked.

Still, doesn't excuse making you point at it three times before she said "that's it."

Yeah, especially if they're soft pretzels instead of the hard snack kind. I can see how that would happen, although the shape would definitely give away that it's "pretzel" and not "bread". Unless the woman in question went a lifetime without seeing pretzels named?

[Darkforge]

Yeah, especially if they're soft pretzels instead of the hard snack kind. I can see how that would happen, although the shape would definitely give away that it's "pretzel" and not "bread". Unless the woman in question went a lifetime without seeing pretzels named?

well being honest, pretzels are a bread product, and if you don't speak much english then you can have really bad problems. I know how much I struggle in other countries, you can't really fault the language barrier, thats a Fratching debate.

The real suck is that after having the specific item she wanted pointed out several times she didn't make any kind of "yes, that one" gesture