Who's More Embarrassed?

We arrived at the restaurant mostly known to locals in a giddy sort of mood.  It was the last night that our friends from the United States would be with us in France, and we were excited to experience local cuisine while overlooking the beauty of the lake.  As we entered the restaurant we were a little unsure.  Do we pick our own table?  Do we wait to be seated?  Fortunately, a host quickly greeted us followed by a new friend we'd met earlier that week.

Though just two months into our language learning, Jordan and I had done a good job of translating for our friends throughout the week; but thankfully, on this evening, our new friend offered to translate the complicated French menu.  We finally decided on four different dishes:  salmon, pork, chicken, and lamb.  

We enjoyed the sparkling wine and appetizer offered to us when suddenly a waiter appeared holding two plates.  He announced the dishes, and we struggled to determine which plate belonged to who.  Finally it was determined.  The waiter left and we quickly realized that we had reversed the dishes; we switched the plates across the table.  When he returned, we again struggled to understand which dish was which.  He served the dishes and the four of us swapped plates a few times before we each had the right dish.  To us, this game of musical plates was comical.  Our waiter, on the other hand, was quite embarrassed!

Have you ever had a similar experience where you do something embarrassing, but it seems to embarrass the other person more than you?  This happens often in language learning.

Some days are better than others.  Some natives are better at responding to our poor French than others. We have simply learned to laugh at ourselves.  

Otherwise we'd probably just be puddles on the ground, and that would really throw people off!