Ugly American

Interesting shapes in Collioure

English speakers are not especially unheard of here in the Aude; there are plenty of Brits living and visiting, but Americans are pretty rare.  So when I hear obvious American English being spoken, I often will speak to the people, especially if I think I can help them in some way.  But there ARE exceptions.

While in the Narbonne train station, waiting for my train back to Carcassonne the other day, I was seated near the information desk.  Travelers from all over were milling about, trying to deal with the delays in their travel plans caused by the horrible accident near Montpellier.  It was bad, and had train schedules snarled for hours.

One man strode up to the window and asked the clerk, "Do you speak English?"  There were none of the polite things the French say...no "Hello," no "Excuse me..."  Just "Do you speak English?" in a tone of voice that implied that this guy was better and more important than anyone else in the station and that the woman on the receiving end of his tone was stupid and hardly worth his breath. 

I cringed.  He was obviously American and was trying to get to Barcelona....as were a lot of people in that station.  But nobody could have been more inconvenienced that he was, according to his delivery.  He was loud, oafish and unbelievably rude.  

This jackass then went on to ask the clerk, in a voice dripping with sarcasm, if the train was going to get to Barcelona sometime today.  Growing more caustic with each sentence, he kept at her.  "When?  Two hours?  Three?  Eleven?"  He was such a jerk, and yet the clerk never lost her composure.

He finally left the window.  I was tempted to stop him and tell him off, but decided I was having too nice a day to spoil it by interacting with him.  You hear stories of Americans being sent in the wrong direction when they ask how to get to a destination.  I understand why, and if I ever encounter him again, I will indeed send him off on a wild-goose chase....and in ENGLISH.