Watch Your Language Blog

The international language of burgers

Speaking in a foreign language can be intimidating, sometimes to the point where you lose sight of common sense because you're so wrapped up in the differences in speech.

Case in point, my dad and I once made a trip to a McDonald's in Paris. I know, I know, what were we doing at a McDonald's when we were in Paris? Well, it's a valid point, but McDonald's is actually ridiculously popular in France (I mean, so popular that some of their locations are literally overflowing with people), especially among the younger generations.

And not to get too defensive, or, well, elitist about fast food, but I personally think that McDonald's food in France is better than it is in the U.S. The food really does taste different, they have more menu options, and I've heard that they only use ingredients grown or raised in France. Except for the cheese, go figure.

In any case, I had already ordered my chicken nuggets and my dad wanted a burger. The exchange at the cash register went as follows:

Cashier: Avec ceci? (Anything else?)

Dad: Un "Quarter Pounder," s'il vous plaît. (A "Quarter Pounder," please.)

Cashier: Un Royal?

Dad: No, un "Quarter Pounder."

Cashier: Un Royal?

[Long silence.]

Dad: Un "Quarter Pounder."

[Silence.]

Dad: No "Quarter Pounder"?

[Silence.]

Me: Hmm... I was just thinking... they might not call it a Quarter Pounder here since they, you know, don't measure stuff in pounds. So maybe a "Royal" is a "Quarter Pounder"?

[Another long silence as we both actually look up at the menu for the first time.]

Dad: Oh. Huh. [to the cashier] Un Royal, s'il vous plaît.

Needless to say, if we had actually been thinking about what we were doing instead of focusing desperately on trying to order quickly in (semi-)French, or at least stopped to consider that all McDonald's the world over might not be created identical, things could have gone a lot smoother.

Instead, we were pretty (okay, really) embarrassed and the long, long line of French teenagers behind us was none too happy. But at least we got what we wanted... eventually.

If only one of us had spent more time watching Pulp Fiction.

- Cleveland, OH

Tags: French, hamburgers, McDonald's, newsletter, Paris
July 25, 2008