Cheesy
I once caused plenty of laughter by asking in German for a Kaisersandwich rather than a Käsesandwich.Of course the sandwich filling I was after was Käse, cheese, rather than Kaiser, emperor. Thankfully I made the mistake in a German lesson at school rather than in a café somewhere in Munich, but my German teacher laughed at me every bit as much as any waiter might have done ...
Sent by: James
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Someone I know wanted cheese in a posh restaurant, and asked for the Kasse, the till... The waiter was very confused!
If you order ein Kaisersandwich here in Germany you might get a sandwich named in honour of Franz Beckenbauer. He is the president of FC Bayern München, and his nickname is der Kaiser.
A similar Käse-clanger happened to a friend of mine. She is German and in an English supermarket she asked for "raped cheese". What she actually wanted was grated cheese. She just mixed it up with the French fromage râpé.
On my last trip to Germany, I went into a café where the menu was in English. Thinking nothing of it, I ordered a turkey sandwich. The waitress didn't understand me. Feeling flummoxed, I tried to think how you might pronounce "Turkey Sandwich" with a German accent, and came out with Türkei Sändvich ... we got there in the end ... :S
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