Lechuga o pechuga

Lechuga o pechuga?

April 8, 2013

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

About three weeks ago, I had lunch with three people. One of them is my Spanish student and the other two I met that afternoon through him. I got initiated in Spanish teaching last August, and believe it or not, this is something fairly new for me. I am guessing it must run natural because I’ve been getting nothing but very positive feedback from W. A. 

He said that up to our first two classes, he’d never lost the fear of letting himself flow, we’ve been slowly integrating brief sentences using el presente indicativo to make him feel a lot more confident and happier. 

After taking a week’s break because we had visitors, I texted him to find out when we were meeting again and his response was, “I think it would be great to do it. I’m scared I disappoint you!  )=

Though not surprised about this highly important business coach’s response (at that time I didn’t realize the nature of his job because he told me he was just a photographer), I was a bit relieved after stressing out about not doing a thorough job with him. We were both lacking self-confidence, yet neither one of us knew it.

My reply was, “W, don’t worry please. Little by little ok? My job is to help you in every possible way by walking you through step by step. Relax and let yourself flow ok? The minute I said this to him, he let himself flow, flojito y coperando. 

As the good example teacher I am, during that lunch we had, I was trying to look good and started throwing a few sentences in Spanish here and there, that I got distracted when the waiter came by and took my order (they’d already ordered). I saw this tasty salad with ‘pechuga,’ breast (chicken breast) or so that’s what I overlooked on the menu. 

By the time the waiter brought my salad, I was starving but saw too many greens and I wondered to myself, “Where's my pechuga?” “Should I ask, should I not? I don’t want to look bad in front of these three gentlemen.”

I finally waived to the waiter so when he came by, I was convinced to return the salad and get my chicken breast, until he said, “Oh, no, it’s ‘lechuga,” lettuce. I skeptically asked him to hand me the menu to confirm. 

One of the veggies in my salad was indeed ‘lechuga,’ NOT ‘pechuga!’ How dummy of me! There I was sitting with three Americans, giving them short ‘Spanish lessons’ when I can’t even tell two very similar words apart.

Scenarios like this can happen to every native speaker in their own language but more so in their second language. All three of them could not stop laughing at me and I still get a good laugh out of it every time I think about it. I keep repeating to myself, “lechuga o pechuga, lechuga o pechuga.’