Our original plans for the day were thwarted thanks to my illness, which kept me in bed until about 1pm. Liberation D'Italia celebrations were going on and I missed them, but Jim saw a parade and some men and women in renaissance outfits dancing and waving flags (the Italian version of Morris Dancing perhaps?). When I finally felt well enough to drag myself into town, there were people everywhere and it looked like they were gearing up for more celebrating. Unfortunately, I was ready to go back to bed again at that point, so we headed home. Jim dropped me off and went to find more toilet paper and to ask Roberto where we could buy bread on the holiday. Here is how the conversation went:
Jim (holding up empty toilet paper roll): Bon JOrno (I'm spelling phonetically here..how Jim pronounced things) Roberto. Can we get some more (points to toilet paper roll)?
Roberto: (Laughing) Buena Sera! Yes, of course, follow me!
Jim follows Roberto around the corner of the house and into a shed, where the toilet paper is stored. In the shed, Jim says:
Hey Roberto. Do you know where I can get some pene?
Roberto looks shocked and a little scared: Pene?
Jim repeats: yes, Pene, fresh pene...you know...Bread.
Roberto (looks very relieved): Ohhhh...PANE.
Jim: oh yeah, that's what I meant.
Roberto: big difference.
And then Roberto said Jim would have some trouble finding bread during the holiday, but didn't really explain the original confusion.
Turns out, after consulting our Italian/English dictionary, that Jim asked Roberto if he knew where he could get some PENIS (pene). Roberto probably thought that Jim was propositioning him in the shed. Jim was mortified. I thought it was really funny.
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