Grad School Memoirs III - The Indian Accent

This happened a year after we started Grad school. We were driving to Detroit on a weekend and had stopped at a McDonald’s for lunch. This buddy of ours had decided that that he was in the mood for a milk shake, and was going to order one for himself. We were all so hungry that we barely paid attention to what he was going to order and nothing other than “I’ll pay for lunch” would have succeeded in getting our attention. We were before him in the line, and had ordered our food. He walks up to the lady and says 'Can I get a “Vennila” Milkshake'. The rest of us knew that it was pronounced differently (“Vanella”) in the U.S and not like we say it in India, with a strong emphasis on “Ven”, but we let him learn his own lesson.

The lady replied “No sir, we don’t carry it here”

Our man repeats his order in slow clear English “Vennila milkshake ma’am”

The lady at the counter still didn’t get it…”I am sorry sir, we don’t have what you are asking”

By this point, the rest of us got our food and we walked to our table figuring that he would eventually get through to her.

I turned around and saw him pointing at something in the menu behind her and going “Vennila Milkshake” again...

In about 3 minutes, our buddy walked up to our table, carrying a CHOCOLATE milkshake, and holding an expression on his face that was meant to suggest to us, that this was exactly what he intended to order. LOL ! We had a terrific laugh there and made sure practically every one he knew, knew about this too.