As a hipster cafe owner-operator I encountered heaps of wonderful, kind customers. However, as an individual brown person (Cambodian-Canadian), some expressions and behaviours from the same customers also raised my eyebrow.
“Wow, your English is so good!”
As innocent as it may seem this comment is a backhanded compliment. It’s presumptuous and implies locals are incapable of learning English or other languages at a high proficiency.
I personally received this ‘compliment’ at our hipster cafe countless of times from tourists, mostly white Americans, English, and Australians. My responses varied but they were always polite, generally along the lines of “Thanks! It better be because I grew up in Canada!” **Insert sly winky face** In most cases, they’d reel back from slight embarrassment and sometimes apologise for their remark.
Bonus story. I was once utterly dumbfounded when a young, adult American woman insisted that I spoke English well (in her words “perfectly”) AFTER I told her I was Canadian. She wasn’t aware that Canadians spoke English. And yes, I asked her questions and made sure she was referencing Canada, the massive country bordering USA that apparently remains a complete mystery during history class at some American schools.
“This not good! Bad! Bad! Bad!”
In late 2019 we collaborated with a Mexican chef and served Mexican street-style tacos at our hipster cafe Bang Bang. One time an elderly man wearing a ‘Dundee’ hat, probably Australian, was wildly upset at the size and price of the tacos he ordered. (He was likely unfamiliar with Mexican tacos and expected large, American-style tacos). With his loud, raspy voice, he pointed his finger at me and switched to slow, broken English, scolding me as if I were a dog that could only understand key words. “This not good! Bad! Bad! Bad!”
This man was an extreme example of an emotionally dysregulated adult. The main subject of this point, though, is the casual, unnecessary use of broken English. On many occasions I overheard tourists, presumably native English speakers, talk to our local staff in broken English, even when our staff communicated in proficient English.
Mexican street-style tinga tacos at hipster cafe Bang Bang: stewed chicken in a smoky tomato and chipotle sauce, garnished with fresh onion and cilantro, on grilled homemade corn tortillas
There are appropriate times to speak a mutual language in basic, broken sentences, especially if participants are struggling to understand each other. But this behaviour shouldn’t be the default. Besides, speaking in broken sentences is a disfavour to the person learning the language, reinforcing incorrect syntax and grammar.
“Hey Zita, can I order the ____________,“ while ignoring our cashier
I can’t tell you how many times regular customers would ignore our local staff, announce their order to me when I was nearby, only for me to repeat their order to the cashier or server standing right in front of them.
Not only is this considered rude and disrespectful to the staff, suggesting that they can’t do their jobs, it’s also incredibly inefficient and wastes everybody’s time. If you’re the hipster cafe owner/manager and this situation occurs, immediately request the customer to speak to your staff. “I’m sorry, can you order with the cashier?” This way, you acknowledge your staff and make them feel validated—and hopefully the customer takes the hint.
“I’m sorry, we only have riels“
Vice versa: I’ve heard this not from customers but too often from staff at other cafes or restaurants in Cambodia when giving change in Cambodian riel (៛).
No person or business in Cambodia should ever apologise for using riels, their official currency. Doing so is an act of belittling and undervaluing the entire nation. Sadly, this may be a symptom of disgruntled foreigners rejecting riels, accepting only US dollars because they’re either ignorant or lazy.
If you ever hear this comment while receiving change, please kindly reply: “Don’t say sorry. This is Cambodia. We should use riel.”