Frustrations with (the) French

Maybe it is the language barrier and my frustration with not being able to communicate very well, even after two years of French lessons, but yesterday I had a not-so-untypical experience with customer service.

Amy and I met for our usual walk by the Seine, but deciding it was too cold, I suggested going for some hot tea  at a well-known restaurant on the river which gives a great view of the Eiffel.....a touristy place, but one Lyle and I enjoy in the evening for a glass of wine with a view.  I had noticed that they had a "Tea Time" menu for 8 euros which included a cup of tea and patisserie (pastry).  We headed over there and asked for the Tea Time menu and to sit indoors.  After telling the second hostess we wanted Tea Time, she guided us to a table right by a window.  Then a young waitress took our order for tea and gave us a menu.  We told her we wanted the Tea Time special and she pointed to the desserts on the menu, which were all over 10 euros each.. and we decided this is a pretty good deal!

So we ordered green tea and two creme brulees. The tea arrived, hardly hot, and two huge creme brulees. And a bill for 34 euros!  Translated into dollars, this is around 45 bucks!  I was angry.  Did they not understand my wonderful French?  Or were they trying to play dumb and stick some dumb tourists with a huge bill?

I refused to eat my 17-dollar dessert and instead we split one, shoving the uneaten one to the edge of the table.  Sweet Amy was ready to chalk it up to "a learning experience", but I was in no mood.  While I was trying to figure out the correct French words to use to argue with, Amy just got up and went to talk to the hostess and explain what we wanted.  The hostess understood, pointed to a huge tray of tiny french pastries, and told us THAT is what we should have chosen...we'd have to talk to the waitress. 

Well, the only words I could come up with were "trop cher"  (too expensive), pointing to my uneaten creme brulee and glaring at her.  She quietly took the bill and came back a few minutes later, deleting the 12 euros for the dessert and then gave me a lecture in French....something about NEXT TIME we should know what we are ordering, etc. etc..  I nodded and told her that I had said "TROIS FOIS" (three times!) that we wanted the tea menu.  It was about all I could say to argue in French.  I am not there yet. 

So we ended up paying 24 euros for two cups of  luke-warm tea (no refills) and one dessert.  A compromise, as the customer is not always right in France.

And to top it off, Lyle tells me that my second attempt at sending in our application for visas was not accepted because Lyle was smiling in his pictures.