I'm trying to be Salvadorian...

One of the first things I learned about the people of El Salvador is that they lead a much more laid back lifestyle. Nothing is rushed. Schedules aren't abided by. Things happen when they happen. Also, they tend to be less angry (unless alcohol is involved). No road rage. No ruffled feathers. No demanding a free meal because of poor service.

From the beginning, these have been traits that I have found hard to relate to and/or embrace. But, I'm trying. And considering one of our latest adventure, I'd say I'm doing prtty well!

Because Independence Day is in September, Mister Donut ( a popular donut shop...similar to Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Creams) offers two-for-one donuts all month long. Last Friday night, Hugo said, "Let's go to Mister Donut for breakfast tomorrow morning. We can get two-for-one donuts." I was all in favor of that. One less meal for me to cook! Plus...donuts!

When we pulled ino the parking lot, I immediately noticed a long line of people snaking outside Mister Donut's door. I pointed it out to Hugo. He didn't seem worried about it. He said the line would move fast. So, we got in line. I quickly realized he was wrong...the line was not moving fast. My natural instincts would have been to hit the road...go somewhere else for breakfast. In fact, I wanted to call it quits before we even got out of the car. But, this was one of those Salvadorian things...don't rush, just be patient. So, we waited.

Thirty minutes later, we finally entered the building. I think entering the building made me feel even more negatively about the situation. The employees were meandering around, taking their time. If I was behind that counter and I saw a huge line of people waiting, I would have been busting tail. But no...you would have thought there were only two or three people in the restaurant by the way the employees were moving. There were even two cooks sitting at a table taking break. From my previous restaurant experience, no one takes a break if there are customers waiting. Also upon entering the building, I noticed the reason for the long, unmoving line...the cooks couldn't keep up with the demand. People were ordering 4, 5 even 6 dozen donuts at a time. I wondered what they did with all those donuts. Feed the neighborhood? Resell them for a profit? Save them and eat donuts every morning for a month?

At one point, I looked over at Hugo and said, "You realize we are standing in line so we can save $1.40, right?"

Hugo's response (his typical response anytime money is involved), "Something is something."

So we waited. So I wouldn't lash out and scream about my frusterations, I didn't say much for the next half hour. (I'd like to think we only stayed in that line for an hour. Realisticaly, it was probably longer. But, I'm still in denial and don't want to admit it.) For the majority of that time, Hugo and I discussed the donuts we were going to order (because there wasn't much else to talk about). We both agreed on sugar (for those who know me are wondering why I didn't want chocolate...well the chocolate are just too rich...especially for breakfast). Anyway, we finally got to the front of the line and Hugo placed our order. The lady (who wasn't going to be winning an employee of the month awards anytime soon...she tried to skip over us and help the next person in line because we weren't standing in the right place...good grief) told us that they only had chocolate, strawberry, coconut, and pistachio. What?! This donut shop usually had about thirty different flavors! Couldn't they put up a sign of some sort so we would have known that before we stood in line for an hour?! And strawberry, coconut, and pistachio?! Who would even want those flavors?!

By the time we left, even Hugo was frustrated with the experience. He just kept saying, "bad idea...bad idea." Sine then, we hae seen two TV commericals advertising Mister Donut's two-for-one ad campaign. Hugo has changed the channel both times. He says he doesn't want to remember our bad experience and that it will be a long time before we go into Mister Donut again. :) BUT...I wasn't the one to freak out! I was real proud of myself. Even though I think the whole experience was silly and a waste of time, I still did it. I'm making progress in my Salvadorian adjustment!