Even though we preach, “nothing but GOOD NEWS” here in Costa Rica, I’d like to bring up a point of discussion that may hit a few nerves with many of you. . what do you think? Have you ever experienced this?
My friend and I were at a local restaurant a couple of weeks ago. . my favorite soda that specializes in big, heart-felt smiles, amazing coffee, great food and lots of room to stretch out while you’re eating. The tables are bigger than normal, which comes in handy for those of us who tend to eat big meals! And the chairs are so comfortable. I know that many of you have experienced some ugly, uncomfortable chairs in many restaurants here! And, when you have a butt as big as mine, one appreciates comfort!
We ordered our coffee. . Maria served us up with a smile like she always does. . the Latin music was playing in the background and the morning was starting off right. . well, for the first four or five minutes. Then it went downhill after that.
In the far corner, we noticed a guy who had a lot of papers spread out all over the table. His laptop was open and he seemed to be talking to himself. . at times, with a spirited voice. The sounds of the other diners seemed to drown him out and everything was cool. Our gallo pinto arrived and it was time to eat. Two fried eggs on top, a top-off on the coffee and life was good. Then all Hell broke loose. The Gringo sitting in the corner received a phone call. . I guess it wasn’t good news. His voice elevated to that of a crazed fan at a championship soccer match. His papers were flying all over the place and his coffee spilled on the floor.
The dozen or so diners in the soda looked around towards the corner and showed their disgust with their rolling eyes and their cuss words. . all in Spanish of course. My friend who I was with does not speak Spanish. I did some translating for him and we started laughing, pointing out that no matter what country you’re in, there’s some old, standby cuss words that always fit in perfectly with the situation at hand. The idiot in the corner was in his own world and continued to flail his arms and disrupt an easy Tuesday morning in downtown San Jose. .
After a few minutes, Maria went over to him and asked him to settle down. Of course, as you know, many Ticos and Ticas do not like direct confrontation (since I’ve been here, I don’t either). He quieted down and things were back to normal. . for a while.
About ten minutes passed. . we were ready to leave, waiting for the check to arrive. Another fine meal at “Soda Maria” in the downtown area of San Jose, very close to the Teatro National. We paid and got up to leave. At that moment, the selfish, spirited loudmouth in the corner started up again. . louder this time. Everyone looked over at him again and expressed their disgust. They were losing patience. I stepped in. . walked up to his table and asked him if I could have a moment with him. He noted to me that he was on the phone. So I sat down at his table across from where he was sitting and waited a few minutes for him to finish with his phone call.
We talked for a few minutes. . he understood that he was being a bad Gringo. . he was quiet again. . he actually apologized to everyone in the soda and because of that, I paid for his breakfast.
I made a new friend that day. He apparently just found out some bad news back in the USA and he simply got carried away. He knew he was wrong.
I saw him there a few days ago, sitting in the same corner. . WITHOUT a laptop, no briefcase. . no papers. He was sitting quietly, not disturbing anyone. I asked if I could sit down and join him and we talked for an hour or so.
There are a few points to consider here. I’d like to share them with you. First, just because someone looks like an idiot and is acting like one as well, they may not really be one! They may just be having a bad moment. Second, one does not have to confront someone with anger and aggressiveness. Kind words and a normal tone have the same outcome, probably BETTER than yelling at someone. Third, an apology works wonders. He ‘won’ over the entire soda when he apologized. . now, they love seeing him come in. And last, ALWAYS order your gallo pinto with TWO FRIED EGGS on top. Pura Vida. .
