GS_Dirtboy
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Several weeks ago I was on Av. Corrientes on the way to a meeting. Since I was early - even by USA/Euro standards - I decided to stop into a cafe for coffee and some breakfast.
As I entered the cafe a woman sitting at a table made explicit eye contact and mouthed, "Hola!" I took her to be a working girl, but not working as a mosa, and would be proven right. I smiled politely, walked to the other side of the restaurant, and took a seat at a table by the open window along the avenue.
Thirty minutes later I was half-way through my cafe con letche when I sensed a bit of commotion. I looked up to see an American guy outside the retaurant gesturing to the woman inside. She said across the restaurant, "Quinientos ... por hora!" She now had my attention. I started doing math in my head.
The guy outside grinned, shook his head affirmatively, and replied, "Fifty?"
In a quick moment she was at the side of my table and this conversation was going on right over top of my medialunas and my La Nacion.
"Si!" she said, shook her head demonstrably and smiled, at which point he replied, "Yes, fifty!" As I subconsciously put my hands on my cell phone and wallet I could sense a bit of a train-wreck coming. This querie went around once more.
"Excuse me," I hesitantly butted in. Looking at the American guy outside I said, "Dude, she is saying 'five hundred'."
He blinked three times. "Five hundred dollars? For one hour?" I translated the question for the working girl. She laughed, "No! Pesos!"
"It's five hundred Pesos for the hour. That's about ... ah ... $115 dollars, man."
He looked skyward for a moment. "Ok, cool!"
She grabbed her purse and headed out the door to meet him. Meanwhile everyone in the restaurant was watching this conversation and knew exactly what was going on.
As I stared blankly after the two new business partners headed down the street I held out my open hand and said out loud, "Y, mi propina?"
The mosos cracked up. When I got my bill they had given me a $3ARS discount and had written at the bottom Tu Propina. Somehow I think I got the short end of the stick on that deal.
As I entered the cafe a woman sitting at a table made explicit eye contact and mouthed, "Hola!" I took her to be a working girl, but not working as a mosa, and would be proven right. I smiled politely, walked to the other side of the restaurant, and took a seat at a table by the open window along the avenue.
Thirty minutes later I was half-way through my cafe con letche when I sensed a bit of commotion. I looked up to see an American guy outside the retaurant gesturing to the woman inside. She said across the restaurant, "Quinientos ... por hora!" She now had my attention. I started doing math in my head.
The guy outside grinned, shook his head affirmatively, and replied, "Fifty?"
In a quick moment she was at the side of my table and this conversation was going on right over top of my medialunas and my La Nacion.
"Si!" she said, shook her head demonstrably and smiled, at which point he replied, "Yes, fifty!" As I subconsciously put my hands on my cell phone and wallet I could sense a bit of a train-wreck coming. This querie went around once more.
"Excuse me," I hesitantly butted in. Looking at the American guy outside I said, "Dude, she is saying 'five hundred'."
He blinked three times. "Five hundred dollars? For one hour?" I translated the question for the working girl. She laughed, "No! Pesos!"
"It's five hundred Pesos for the hour. That's about ... ah ... $115 dollars, man."
He looked skyward for a moment. "Ok, cool!"
She grabbed her purse and headed out the door to meet him. Meanwhile everyone in the restaurant was watching this conversation and knew exactly what was going on.
As I stared blankly after the two new business partners headed down the street I held out my open hand and said out loud, "Y, mi propina?"
The mosos cracked up. When I got my bill they had given me a $3ARS discount and had written at the bottom Tu Propina. Somehow I think I got the short end of the stick on that deal.
