I forgot to bring my lunch yesterday, so I had to go out to get lunch. I didn't feel like going far, so I hit the McDonald's they have right here in the same shopping center where they (bizarrely) decided to plunk the office park where we work.
I generally eat my lunch at 11am because I hate people, and don't have to see many at that hour. Yesterday, though, I got involved in the work I was doing, and my usual lunch hour slipped away from me. I found myself at McDonald's around 12:15. The drive-through line wrapped around the building alarmingly, so I decided to go inside.
Inside was even worse, so my not-so-clever ploy was even less clever than I'd believed. Defeated, I consoled myself that at least I got to wait in the air-conditioned indoors. And didn't have to try to operate the trick window of my beat up car.
I passed the time by eavesdropping on the two ladies in front of me in line. One of them was clearly not from this country, but I couldn't begin to guess where she was from: she spoke British english, but not with a British accent. I couldn't place her accent, but that's not surprising, given that I am a provincial and ignorant American. The accent was lovely, and rather charming, so I continued to listen to the two friends chatting. Wherever she was from, 1) McDonald's (or perhaps American McDonald's) was a novel experience, and 2) they seem to have a problem with the French.
AMERICAN LADY: Okay, we'll get you a medium drink. You don't have to pay for refills here.
FOREIGN LADY WITH THE CHARMING ACCENT: Okay.
AL: Do you want french fries with your lunch?
FLWTCA: I don't want any French rubbish.
AL: No... they're not... we usually just call them 'fries.'
FLWTCA: I don't want any French rubbish.
AL: Do you like chips?
FLWTCA: [lights up] Oh, I love chips.
AL: Well, they're chips. Sorta.
FLWTCA: Oh. Okay, then.
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heheh.. on a side note, my wife was terribly excited to go to a McDonald's in the US. Being that the Mickey-D's in her home country serve a wide variety of food that actually doesn't taste like an old tire. I kept attempting to dissuade her until she finally got me to relent (I think I had just gone to the dentist, so no sense of smell or taste -- perfect time for McDonald's).. anyhow, she's now sworn off of the place. She kept looking at the menu saying, "I wonder if they have.. oh.. well, hey, maybe they have.. oh.. well.. ok..".. Truth be told, the McDonald's in China are clean, the tables are bussed for you, if you have kids, they usually have an employee whose sole-purpose in life is to watch them while you go up and order, and the food is pretty decent.
Oh, yeah.. and on the accent.. Could she have had a South African accent? If a British accent could be made to sound melodious, it'd be a South African accent..
I don't think the accent was South African. I had a professor in college who was South African, and his accent was different. But a single person is a pretty small sample size, so... maybe.
I'm pretty sure 80% of the english speaking world doesn't particularly like the French, so I'm not sure that helps...
The other 20% actually think Jerry Lewis is funny.
*operates your trick window*
South African is the greatest accent in the world. That is all.
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