WHAT!

I like to eat chicken wings. Honey is my favorite. One day, I went to a grocery store's hot food kiosk to buy some. I saw a few cooking styles of chicken wings on the food warmers, but they didn’t show the names. So, I used my finger to point to one of them and asked the staff serving at the counter, “Hello, may I know what the taste of the wings is?”

Immediately, I got a frown and a loud, “WHAT?”

I felt surprised and embarrassed! Then I quickly asked another way. “I mean, is it a sweet taste?” Her attitude turned out to be nice and she replied that it was a little spicy. Chili is not my favorite, so I bought something else I liked.

I just wanted to know what it tasted like. I guess she might have misunderstood that I wanted to taste it before I bought it. Or, I said it in the wrong way. This was an unenjoyable experience, but it reminded me when talking to people I must use the simplest way to say something, which helps to reduce confusion or misunderstanding.

~

- Shuk, Hong Kong