It was really touching, being a stranger and hungry. I did not go to many brassieres, simply smaller restaurants, which were not in the center of the city.
Aside from a few painful looks from people trying to understand me, I did get a rather negative response in a cafe in Paris. I was trying to ask "how much for the coffee?". Instead of Combien, I used Comment, thus instead of asking "How much would you like me to pay you?" I asked "How would you like me to pay you?" To which the man behind the bar replied "What?" To which, I very slowly and articulately repeated in my best French "How would you like me to pay you?". To which he replied in the tone of "Get out of my store." "One Euro".... Only after running the dialogue in my head several times did I understand the look I received.
Another time in a brassiere I asked in very slow French where are the bathrooms? To which the waiter replied in quick articulate English "Downstairs".
I try to refrain from doing that, but I usually can't resist it: whenever a British/American tourist (or not a tourist) asks me for directions in strugging, slow French (with an accent that gives their origin away), I reply in English. At first they seem very slightly offended, which I can understand and that's why I try to refrain from doing it, but eventually they're glad that I can explain without them having to struggle with their dictionary.
But good point. I actually just sort of stand there, flexing my muscles, grinning with vanity ... maybe I could ask "so where y'all from?"
