Scott's Misplaced Breakfast

As we move around this country, we are more boldly trying our rudimentary Spanish, and mostly it works. Always the Ticos are gracious and friendly in coaching us along. However, sometimes one makes a verbal blunder that seems impossible to fix. Here is one of mine.

As we were walking down the street in San Isidro to buy our bus ticket for tomorrow, we noticed that a slip of paper fluttered down from the papers a woman was carrying in front of us. I stooped, pick it up and gave it to her. "Gracias" she said. "De nada" I replied. All well and good.

We walked on and she got some feet in front of us. Then a second piece of paper fluttered down. Again, I stooped, picked it up, but since she was about 15 feet in front of us now, I needed to get her attention. I had recently learned a way to say excuse me - "disculpeme". In the heat of the moment, I heaved out a longish D word that had four syllables and sounded right.

"Desayuno! Desayuno!" I cried up the street, raising my hand. She didn't turn. I hurried on and called again "Desayuno", catching up with her and handing her the slip.

She turned with a puzzled look and took the paper with another gracious "Gracias".

Only then did it hit me - I should have said disculpeme. Desayuno, which I was calling up the street to politely attract her attention and do a good deed, means "breakfast".