For lunch I usually try and eat inexpensively to save for the other expensivities (is that word? well it is today) of this city. Most days I pack my lunch to work, however every once in a while I treat myself to ´subway´ or the grocery store deli. So today, I went to the deli for a little gnochi and carne. They were out of their usual tasty meat selections so I went with a teeny tiny container of moqueca (like teeny the size of a cocktail napkin). I never read the price because this little meal never costs more than 7 or 8R (5$). I quickly read the tag as shrimp moqueca, which is typical here and headed to the cash register. She rang me up at 34R and so still in my basic portuguese I asked what in the world cost 25.91R on the screen and she pointed to my very obvious priced LOBSTER moqueca. So I tried to politely ask to put it back and she sternly said no. So I politely asked again, and she even more sternly said no!!! And the line was growing as was my red face so I gave up and accepted defeat. I know I need to take this as a little lesson in knowing what you are buying because yeah, it was my fault, there is no one else to blame it on but come on, she could easily take the plastic off and dump that 25R back into the other 1000R sitting at the deli right?! Right!
Either way the worst part? It wasn´t that good. I am sure most brazilians would tell you never to get moqueca at the grocery store... duh! And lagosta = shrimp? I know! But I am still upset.
5 comments:
That sucks - and I know the stress of asking in broken Portuguese to be given a break... But I think I would have just walked off...
Shit is EXPENSIVE here!
UGH! That sucks, I would have definitely done like Jim and just walked away, what would she do? Tackle you down and call the cops! I don't think so.
Regarding the price, Lobster is expensive here, in Lobster land New England too, we usually pay between 12 and 16 dollars for a Lobster Roll, that is about the same price as your moqueca...:(
Well, we don't eat Lobster Rolls everyday anyway, just when Lobster is in season, which is usually during the summer.
At least you're working towards mastering another language. Today while in line for Starbucks somebody commented that it doesn't make sense that they named their "drink sizes in Mexican"... I wish I was making that up.
that sucks. but dont let that lady scare you--she is wrong, she cant force you to take it. next time, say ops!! my wallet is gone! i cant pay! good bye! i mean, the only thing they can do if you dont have money is refuse to let you take the food right? use that one next time :) i havent done that yet because i never buy at the delis....they just look gross. and if a price ever rings up wrong i always bitch about it. but i have been cheated by a damn melão--it was small, looked like a normal run of the line melon. it rang up at R$19! wtf? it was pao de açucar so that explains a little but it was pretty damn ridiculous. at least it was a good melon. i suppose my worst mistake was at the Bon Marché in Paris--i bought ONE mango and it turned out to be about 16 EUROS! for a mango! and i paid for it! i was too embarrassed to put it back since this was the fanciest grocery in paris...aiai.
That totally sucks! I can't believe you couldn't take it back, like who would think their deli lunch would cost that much?!
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