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Be careful with language – a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing!
I am not a linguist, but I took French in high school and German in college. Note the use of the word took,
not learned! But I didn’t want to be an ugly American on my first trip to Germany, so I listened to language tapes for
days before my trip. When the Lufthansa flight attendant asked me what I wanted to drink, I proudly responded “Ein glass
wasser.” Imagine my chagrin when she asked me (in German, of course) if I wanted it with gas or without gas. I sheepishly
replied, “Ich verstehe nicht.” Learn to recognize chicken
in every language. Again, I’m hung up on this ugly American thing. I refuse to ask for an English menu,
so I can recognize the word “chicken” in the language of every country I have visited. Of course, I can’t
distinguish between menu items such as chicken liver and chicken feet, but at least everything I’ve ordered so far has
tasted just like chicken.
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