A Pizza Worth 1,000 Words?

[sylvar]

This story comes from the Palm Treo newsletter:

A Pizza Worth 1,000 Words
I was in Northern Italy at an Italian restaurant and could not order off the menu as I do not speak Italian. Nobody in the restaurant spoke English. So, I pulled out my Treo 650 and went online to Google and downloaded a pizza image. Showed the picture to the waiter who proceeded to show it to everybody in the kitchen (and rest of restaurant!). A pizza showed up a half hour later!

Are you KIDDING me?! This guy doesn't know how to say PIZZA in ITALIAN?!

And the silly part is that he's apparently got a better PDA than I do.

I told this story to my executive director and concluded with "He could have at least said 'I want pizza' in English and the waiter would have understood the important part. This guy isn't even trying!"

He said, "Trying? He's downright exasperating!"

Comments

[vartan.livejournal.com]

I can't help but imagine them all talking to each other, saying things along the lines of
"Look, another buffoon american, showing us pictures since we apprently don't know what a pizza is"

I actually once saw a sort of picture-card-set-thing that was for taking to other countries, so that you could just *point* to what you wanted or were looking for, and show it to one of the locals. And I thought...God, I wonder if they want to just laugh in the face of someone who starts waving the sort of things you would give a toddler at them...as if it's that hard to try and learn a few, tiny basics...when you're going to another country.

[franthenut.livejournal.com]

Why else would it take them a half hour to show it to everyone there and make one? :)

[tealfroglette.livejournal.com]

how on earth would anybody believe that in northern italy anywhere, there are people who wouldn't know how to respond to somebody who orders pizza in english? Please. Franklin college is in southern switzerland, not too far from the border and we (the students) have probably been to every town around there over the years. I don't buy this would even be possible.
NOW i can believe he'd order 'pepperoni' pizza and get it with paprika and be confused....