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2015.03.05 | 我可以嗎

[Volume 10 Issue 3, #1999]
Can I Have...
Can I Have...
未開始之前, 我想聲明一下我今日呢篇貼, 唔係要明嘲暗諷任何人.. 只係每次聽到有人落單嘅時候, 同個侍應話 "Can I have xxxxxx please??", 我會覺得好怪, 譬如說係間快餐店內有人話 "Can I have a McBig please??".. 我知咁講技術上係冇錯, 我亦都明白係購買用意, 但係咁樣講感覺就好似一個小朋友喺度懇求媽咪俾佢食個McBig咁樣.. 我哋肯定係用錢買啦, 係唔係先?? 如果講 "I'd like to have a McBig, please." 之類嘅, 會唔會更好呢?? 係嗰種確定性嘅表明, 而唔應該係請求性問題啩?? 點都好, 只要溝通得到就無傷大雅, 係一時間醒起先快快寫佢落嚟啫, 嘻嘻 :p

話是話, 你會唔會同服務你嘅侍應講唔該㗎?? 我至少最後都會, 就好似習慣咗一樣咁.. 同埋呢, 千其唔好得罪啲侍應呀, 因為你唔會知道佢哋喺你背後, 會對你嘅食物做啲咩喎!! 哈哈.. :)
before i start, let me disclaim that i am not trying to insult or even insinuate anyone with this post.. it's just that i find it rather weird to hear someone says "Can I have xxxxx please??" when they are placing order with a waiter, for example "Can I have a McBig please??" at a fast food restaurant.. i know this is not technically wrong, and i totally understand the intention of buying, but it just feels like a kid is begging Mommy to allow him/her to eat that McBig if said that way.. i mean we are paying money to buy a McBig right?? wouldn't it be more appropriate to say something like "I'd like a McBig, please.", which sounds more a firm statement than a "requesting question"?? well, just something that came across my mind and i quickly blog it down, nothing's wrong if the communication goes right, hehe :p

BTW, do you say thank you to the waiter that serves you?? i always in the end, like it's already a natural habit.. and it's always wise not to offend your waiter, because you'd never know what they can do to your food behind you in the kitchen!! haha.. :)

121 comments:

  1. Eh, kam ngam geh, my hubby says exactly the same thing! Each time when we eat out, and when I say “Can I have the sauce on the side” or “I want to replace the fries with mash, can ahh?”, then my hubby will say “Eh, you no need to ask can or not, you are paying ma, you are the customer ma, they can sure customize/do it for you one”..

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    1. Wah, yau tit ngan keng wor, me first again? Woohoo, can buy 4D liao..

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    2. Ok, back to your topic, my hubby hor, pot calling the kettle black la.. He says I shouldn’t ask “Can ahh?” or “Can I have xxx?” but when it comes to his turn hor, he pulak say “Can I have this that”?.. Chey… Pot calling the kettle black!

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    3. I very agree with you on this post.. But sometimes hor, when we are ordering that time, we tend to ask “Can I have xxx please” also la, coz it’s our natural *ahem* good manners also la.. It’s like that one, when we are ordering and the other party is listening, then he/she will say “eh you shouldn’t ask can ahh, coz you are paying, coz they sure can do for you”, cheh.. But when they are ordering and I’m listening, they say the same thing as me too..

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    4. Of course it sounds very funny also la, when we are in the restaurant, and when we ask “Can I have one mushroom soup, one beef bacon burger and one ice lemon tea please, ooohh, fried replace with mash, can?” Coz the waiter will surely answer can.. Or “I want to have one clam chowder, one fish & chips and one chocolate milkshake, can?” Of course, again, the waiter will also say can.. I think hor, most people kuan jor, wana add the word “can?” at the back of the sentence, hehe..

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    5. But hor, it’s very weird one la.. In a Chinese restaurant, when we kiu soong, we don’t usually ask “hor mm hor yi bei ngor xxx”, right? When we kiu soong, we will just terus say “yat kor green vege, hamtan prawns, kari fish head, chiu pai tofu and kam heong chicken”.. We won’t ask “Ngor oi xxxx, ok mou?”… Rite ???

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    6. Only when we order in fast food chain or English speaking cafes/restaurants only this kinda “can ahh”? word pop out, hor?

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    7. To answer your last question, yep, I say thank you almost most of the time.. *ahem*, natural habit ma.. Automatic jor geh.. I even say "ABC (the person's name), sik farn" to the person next to me everytime before I start eating..

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    8. hmmm, "Can I have the sauce on the side or replace my fries with salad" is okay for me woh, because it's really a request to me woh.. I would have said like that leh, is there anything wrong ah?? hahaha.. like this more polite to the waiter and they will be more happy to attend to the requests mah..

      errr, in cantonese also say the same thing like "can i" mah.. i mean of course not during ordering, but when you are requesting for some additionals lah, not meh?? same like above lah.. when you order the dish, you won't ask "can i", but if you want something more or less or other request for your dish, you say "can i", right??

      as for thank you, i say that quite often woh, it's like a habit jor.. :)

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    9. I think is like a habit also, because we're not sure they have it or not so we automatically say "can I", like we order something, even it's on the menu but something they don't have it one...and same to something we're very sure with then we said "I would", then turns out they don't have it...like on that day I went to da bao usually I said "I want something, something" but they lady said today don't have chicken...so even though something we're very sure they have it but we also can't 100% sure they have it...super 矛盾 here...

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    10. errr, it's actually find for me if they reply me "we don't have this and that" woh, haha.. in restaurant likely but in fast food chain, errr, very rarely i can't get what i want.. except for one time in 1U BK, this don't have that don't have, they say doing stock take~~ @_@"

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    11. Guess the way we ask for certain thing depends on the place we go to la. If classy restaurant usually will say "May I have..." or " I would like..." instead of i want this and that.

      I sometimes get pissed of when they say :"we don;t have this...and that". If in the beginning when they show the Menu then they say "sorry today we dont have this two items " it's ok la. But sometimes the waiter waitress wait till we select the thing then baru say sorry dont have. And it's not one item but many items. kena before in one or two restaurant. geram so we walk out.

      another is the one in Midvalley food court. the stall lights was on and the staffs were there. I stood there so long choosing what to order abd when wanna order, the staff say "we not open yet" Betul betul KNS lo. darn pissed off

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  2. Usually I would say "I would like this and that la?" But mostly is the waiter ask so I just give the name of the food that I want..but honestly as I hardly eat outside hor, I also can't remember which one did I use, maybe see which type came into my mind then I said which type lo, hehe!!

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    1. yalor, that's why when i am ordering what i want, i won't go and say "Can I" lor, it feels weird to me, though i know it's not wrong and it meant to be polite lah.. but i add a "please" at the end, also very polite hor??

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    2. Usually for our Malaysian or Singapore style ...we just tell the what we want la... like Mee goreng satu, teh tarik kurang manis, one kway teow soup...etc. Not so long winded... hahaha

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    3. haha, yalah.. if you are being too polite probably the waiter also feel weird and beh tahan you!! now that's awkward huh?? :p

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    4. But hor, very weird yesterday, I went to order a cup starbucks then I just said "can I have...?" Like very smoothly...don't know why=.=

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    5. hehehehe.. because you read this post and automatically switched to saying "Can I.."?? :D

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    6. Yah, I guess so...hahaha!!

      But I said already then I only recall back, thinking I should said I would instead, hahaha~~~

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    7. actually there's no right and wrong also loh.. just say what you feel most comfortable with.. remember it's not what you say, but how you say it :)

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    8. But how to order also depend on place la.

      If fast food , can say I want this and that ....but if classy restaurant say like that...tarak add pls...nanti duno the waiter will add what into the food lo. The tone when ordering also important.

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  3. Good morning SK. LOL...I see the caption above I thought you went to see broadway show Oliver Twist. Rupa Rupa it is not.

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    1. Hahaha, yah hor, Small Kucing so smart, now I look carefully then only can realized...plus SK put the picture black and white some more, or SK, the picture is originally black and white ya??

      I clicked on the picture link, the picture is originally black and white but I can't see the story, saw the name is Oliver, so the story is about the story Oliver Twist ya??

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    2. haha, just simply find one photo for the sake of this post only la :p

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    3. that's why la..i jump to conclusion of he went for broadway show when i saw that pic. some more black and white pulak.

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  4. I think the mentatlity of "Can I have" is direct translation from local dialect..like whatb you have said..If in cantonese we would usually use the "question" type of sentence to request for something instead of like Mat Salleh which is very direct. Eastern mah.....kinda like soft approach la. Like in malay will say "saya nak yang tu boleh tak? " somehing like that la.

    Anyway, I am used to hearing "Can I have....." so am immune liao. Tarak feel offended or something like that

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    1. errr, direct translation from local dialect?? doesn't sound that to me, but i would think it's trying to be "ang moh"-ly polite lah, hahaha, you know what i want to say?? but then also nothing wrong lah, we all know it's purely being polite and we know the intention..

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    2. That's right, I think any way to ask/tell also nothing wrong, the matter the most you said the "things" you want clearly and politely, then the person who heard it also happy to serve for you...

      Imagine a very black and fierce face one ask you something, bet you also don't even bother to layan him/her lo!! =p

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    3. yes, i also think the waiters will not bother how you say it, as long as they get what you want clearly on the order.. :p

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    4. hmm....I dont agree leh. Somehow waiter wont feel like not so nice meh if we just say I want this this this and this. Maybe due to asian root la. Am imagining those taikor go to classy restaurant and shouting I want this and that LOLWe tend to feel like it's kinda rude if just say i want this this and this. Feel more polite if say in softer tone.

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  5. I think both ways are legit good ways. If we dissect word by word, then "Can I?" seems more polite to me, it implies that you are giving the waiter the option to not have what you want, like "I'm sorry, you can't, we just sold out our McBigs today!".

    "May I?" would be the sound-like-a-kid-begging way to me..

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    1. yeah, i certainly don't find it any wrong and i understand that they are being polite.. but now i wonder, what is the likelihood that they will have McBigs sold out?? haha~~

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  6. One more thing...do you notice that over here we usually confused the usages of "Can I " with "May I".

    Many children and some adult too will pakai hentam and use "Can I " instead of "May I" * ahem....am guilty of that too la sometimes" paiseh paiseh.

    Can I go to the toilet please teacher....that is what some kids asked. Can I have and Ice cream please Mommy?.

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    1. oh, Small Kucing must then enlighten us with the difference between using Can I and May I by giving practical examples too!!

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  7. Usually, i will tell them, i want this, i want this, i want that...

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    1. Me too...sometimes just point at the menu or tell them the no. hahaha

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    2. yeah, straight to the point!! and pointing at the menu sure won't miss out.. :p

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  8. I always use " Can I have..." =.="

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  9. I usually say, "I want to order this, that, this and that....." I would definitely say thank you before I leave the counter.

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    1. It is sound like saying this "Who and who at home or not?" when we call to someone house phone. I would normally ask this way " Can I talk to who and who?" instead of asking "Who and who at home or not?"

      What about you?

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    2. actually nothing's wrong with "Can I have this and that" because we all understand what that question is meant for.. but in the end, a Thank You will really be a nice saying to end the conversation huh??

      oh, it is "May I speak to xxx" or "Can I speak to xxx"??

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  10. Now that you mentioned it, I never thought of it that way hah..hah... But in my opinion, it does not sound like asking for permission or begging if we say "Can I have a McBig, please?". It is a polite way of requesting for an order and since the answer to a "Can I...?" could be a "no" because what you wanted ran out or you have to purchase something else to qualify for it, then I think it is properly acceptable.

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    1. yeah, we all understand that it's a polite way of ordering your food, but then "Can I"??? errr, probably they are expecting either a Yes or No from the waiter.. :p

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    2. But in Malaysia we already grew accustomed to "Can I" and in some they even think it's polite.

      LOL...probably too la they expect either yes or no coz here also famous for "tarak tarak...habis" "Tarak stock".

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  11. The way that I order would be "I'll have the McBig, please" or "I would like to have the McBig, please" and I would not rule out the possibility that I have said "Can I have the McBig, please". All are conveying the same intention in a polite manner.

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    1. when i am at a fast food chain, i'll just say the things that i want to order, no questions but firm statement, haha.. but of course, in the end, i will end up with a Thank you..

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    2. question and fast answerr. If proper high class restaurant then have to use longer sentences lor. Fast food if talk a lot later kena the cashier muka hitam liao. waste time. some even have the QMS time. have to serve how many customers at certain timing. If slow then no win awards and bonus

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  12. Though we are paying to buy the McBig, I feel that it is still alright to say "Can I have a McBig, please?". Just because we are paying does not mean that we need to be less polite or sound more firm. By asking "Can I...?" we are not asking the server for permission but rather we are putting across our intention to buy the McBig in a nice way.

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    1. you are right, we ought to be polite.. and it actually doesn't really depends on "what" we say, but rather "how" we say it right??

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    2. Deep thinker. But think the waiter and watress in McD will not think much la whether if we use Can I or May I or I want. They already very busy lo especailly peak period.

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  13. But now that I think about it more and more, suddenly saying "Can I have a McBig, please?" sounds funny. I mean I see your point of view that it is as if we are asking the server whether we can have it or not. You have messed up my mind liao hah..hah...

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    1. haha, whatever actually.. i think as long as you say it politely and probably put on a smile, the waiter will be happy to receive your order..

      just compare saying "Can I have..." rudely and saying "I want this and that" politely.. it's the "how" and not the "what", agree??

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  14. saying thank you to the waiter/waitress ah? errr.......got ah...sometimes.... LOL...Coz sometimes the waiter/waitress zoom away very fast especially the smaller scale restaurant....plonk the plate of food on the table and cepat cepat cabut lari....wanna ask them to tambah ice or chinese tea also tak sempat...let alone say thank you...ahem...this excuse acceptable or not? :p

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    1. i think i am quite use to saying Thank You, like a habit.. unless the one who served me was rude and giving me a sour face, then i won't bother.. but under normal circumstances, it won't cost me anything to say a Thank You but probably that would make then feel happy.. :)

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    2. haha....same same here la. Yea...really beh tahan if those sour face one. CNY when see those smiling waiter/waitress, will give them angpau. if those sour face one....ah...no need la. jimat

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  15. Just to expand a little bit on today's topic. You have illustrated the "Can I...?" when placing an order. After ordering, we may like to request for something out of the ordinary. When I order a dish that comes with potatoes or rice, I will make a request for these to be replaced with extra vegetables because I try to avoid carbs. In this situation, then "Can I have extra vegetables/coleslaw in place of the potatoes/rice, please?" is appropriate, right? In this case it is like I am asking for permission because I am asking them to serve the dish differently from what is stated in the menu.

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    1. oh, if those additional request, i would think it's perfectly fine and correct to say "Can I" or "May I".. how do i say his?? because it's like a request or asking for permission, and they may or may not allow you to have customization.. so a "Can I have it this way??" is way better than "Give it to me this way"..

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  16. Yes, I say thank you to the waiter who serves me. It is a habit for me as well. I feel that we should be polite to everyone including those who serve us. They are humans too and deserve respect and appreciation for the work that they do.

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    1. yeah, i think a Thank You won't cost us anything but would probably make their day to have a polite customer huh?? hehe..

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  17. That's how Mat Salleh would say it. Politer.

    We here are less polite when we interact with service staff.

    Seldom a Malaysian (including me, maybe) say thanks after finishing ordering or receiving food.

    Just my 2 cents.

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    1. I have to made a point to do it, unless the staff really annoys me. Hahaha

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    2. yeah, there is no point to be rude to anyone and especially those who serve you.. being polite probably would be beneficial as you may get even better service.. of course to those rude staff, sorry lah~~

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  18. From experience I find that it pays to be polite to the servers at restaurants as most of the time your kindness and consideration is reciprocated. If they know you well enough, you get better seats and better service. So it pays to be polite to them and saying thank you does not cost you anything.

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    1. yeah.. but to be more practical it may not earn you more if you are being polite.. but if you are being rude, you are definitely going to get something, hahaha!!!

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  19. From my observation, we Asians tend not to say thank you and please very often, don't you think? I remember my Dutch language lecturer told us that westerners are more "talkative" and by that he means they even say please and thank you to their wife. I actually support the practice of being polite and showing appreciation even if you think that it is your wife's job to bring you a glass of water.

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    1. yeah, i think it's the way Asians are brought up huh?? anyway, Asians to Asians we understand each other.. but when it comes to Asians and Westerners, problems may arise..

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  20. Oh yes, I've been told never to offend the waiter. Apparently they will get back at you by adding extra ingredients to your food hah..hah... I heard a story about how a waiter took some water from the toilet bowl and mixed it into the alcoholic drink of a snooty customer. Scary!

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    1. yeah, and that would be something we do not know what's happening behind us!!! scary~~

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  21. I also noticed that some waiters are not used to customers saying thank you to them. My experience lah. They will look at you funny and paiseh-paiseh like that. But some of them even the Indons/Myamar waiters know how to say "You are welcome".

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    1. haha, i have not noticed that actually.. but i think being in Asia that is not uncommon.. anyway, i'm fine if there is no respond to my Thank You, but if there is something like "You are most welcome" then that would be nice..

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  22. In my opinion, it's not whether trying to be courteous with ordering food with a may or please...but I guess it's a habit cultivated from young by those good parenting skills. Thus, it became a habit and they continue it till adult.

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    1. yes you got a point there.. but then there are also many cases that this is cultivated or learned from peers or even from the society.. one who doesn't say things politely may also learn to be polite after he/she mingles more with people surrounding them..

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    2. True true...depends on upbringing lor...

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    3. and actually in Malaysia, no one cares how you say it also lah, as long as can get the order right, agree?? haha..

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  23. To me, it's nothing wrong to use 'begging' words like please or may though I agreed with you this is utterly unnecessary. I didn't do that but rather I just mentioned what I want.

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    1. totally nothing is wrong with that.. we surely understand the intention well, to be polite and not really "begging".. :)

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  24. Anyway, I will never give tips when they have service charge else I don't mind leaving some on the tray. I do appreciate their services especially if it is good though we are customers but then, they also.humans earning a living. But if there is service charge then sorry la.

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    1. oh yeah, i think most of the eateries will already charge us a 10% service charge in the bill.. and hence, that is why Asians never tip?? or because Asians are not used to tip, so there is such a 10% charge?? hahaha..

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  25. Now thinking back...I cannot remember how I do my orders... hmmmm... is it ... "Ok, please give me this... this and this... pointing to the menu... I dont think I say.. Can I have... ?? But like you, I always like to convey a word of thanks or thank you whenever I requested something extra... like a spoon.. or chili ... or extra bowls... :)

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    1. Me too, I will like telling the food I want... for example, Sirloin steak medium well or just tell them the no.

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    2. actually i think we are not too bothered with what have been said.. as long as we specified what we want and the waiter get them down in the order, haha.. rather, it's not "what" we say but "how" we say it??

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  26. I do thank them for serving me most of the time even if its cheap eatery. And of course, im doing it not because I afraid they put 'you dunno what' into the food but jus an act of appreciation. Of course, when I am stress, I will definitely forgot to do so.

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    1. yeah, same here.. it's like it's naturally spurted out of my mouth, so habitually and automatically.. hahaha!! actually no harm to do that, and that won't cost us anything also..

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  27. I think it's nice to display some manners to the waiters or waitresses rather than acting like a boss. If I don't like the eating place, I will not bother to patronise it. Having said that, if the restaurants' staffs are not courteous and rude, I will also reciprocate back and probably won't order anymore food of even walk away.
    I had such experience with some famous beef kway teow and big prawn kway teow near Imbi road.

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    1. it's always a courteous to show politeness to anyone, be he/she someone who serves us, or be he/she someone we serve.. i think politeness is a mutual thing, just like a smile - one always makes two!! and of course, when it comes to very rude service, unless you are a saint, i guess we don't have to show any politeness but i would probably reciprocate the same attitude :D

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  28. I guess most of the eateries around display good manners and have good services. It will be a pleasant experience if both customers and waiters are courteous. If both sides using kind words like please and so on, I think that's all right la. I know some fast food chains even addressed me as 'sir'.

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    1. yeah, nowadays it's actually quite common sense to be give good service and politeness is one major factor.. rarely see those very very rude people already, or probably once i met one i'll already ban that eatery.. :D

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  29. When I first look at the title, 我可以吗?I was thinking what topic is this, so 'weird' one? Got think a bit senget also la, LOL! xDD

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    1. Actually this 'can I have...' question, I sometimes ask like that also one wo, upon ordering food, I feel it's a polite way to ask, I never thought of how correct or wrong is it. Actually just a question only, no need so serious about it la SK! Relax~

      But being polite to waiters/waiter is something we should do, unless they react impolite in the first place, then I also won't 客气。
      To me, I treat everyone the same, waiters/guards and etc, 职业没分贵贱, all jobs must be respected, like I say in my recent post, if people treat me nice I will sure treat them nicer, unless they act otherwise then don't blame me lo!

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    2. But usually when I order food I will just say what I want la... Unless if go to very high class dining places/at oversea then I will use like 'I would like a XXX... please'.

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    3. hahaha.. i am not so serious lah, just want to share something else i have nothing to blog about mah.. actually nothing is wrong with saying "Can I" lah, we all know that this is just to be polite lah.. hahaha, different people different style mah, so i'm totally no one to comment actually.. i will often just say what i want, but in the end, i add one "please" lah, still okay hor??

      and yeah, it's no point not to be polite to the people who renders you service right?? i mean, it won't cost us anything to say Thank You, this is to show appreciation and i guess the staff will also be happy lah..

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  30. 可能習慣咗通常我都會講唔該。

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    1. 唔該應該都冇懸念, 不過我可唔可以就~~~

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  31. I don't think anyone would be offended with what you have said. It is your own opinion that you find it weird that people ask "Can I...." I remember my english teacher teaching us that we have to use "May I...' instead of 'can I' because the answer could be 'yes, you can but you may not....'

    Does people really use such long sentences to order at McD? If I remember correctly, the cashier will ask 'may I take your order please' and I will just answer "fish fillet ala carte" or whatever I want. Just that thing, no long sentence.

    Yes, I do say thank you to cashier and also waiters/waitresses. I always say thank you to people who provide services. I also say thank you to bus drivers when I am getting down from buses.

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    1. yeah, it's totally up to that person what he would like to say i supposed, and all these "Can I" or "May I" or "I Want" are not wrong at all.. it nails down to actually not "what" we say but "how" we say it.. it can a question asked rudely, or a firm statement said politely.. in the end, it's the attitude and gesture that counts..

      yes, that was actually what i have heard many times in McD, haha!! "Can I have a XXXX".. and hence this post, hehehe!! anyway, that is rather not so important, but i guess ending with a Thank You is a good thing to do.. and i give you a LIKE for saying Thank You to the bus driver.. i did that when i was in UK but not in KL anymore :p

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  32. I never notice what I say when I am ordering something, ummmmm, let me recall and think what I say...

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    1. I think I would directly say: one green curry, one tom yam soup, one vege, one blah blah blah with the "can I" or "may I" omitted.

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    2. I would usually say thank you to the waiter and waitress, even if they are only serving me plain water.

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    3. actually i think the waiters also won't mind if you say "Can I" or "May I" or not, all they want is the correct order being taken?? haha.. but i would say a "Thank You" in the end would be a nice thing to say.. :)

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  33. Yes, it's not correct to say "Can I ....?" when ordering your food at a restaurant.

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    1. actually nobody cares also lah, haha :D

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  34. I usually say thank you to the waiter who serves me. But sometimes I don't - depends on my mood. Hahahaha!

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    1. it depends on our mood and also the service given.. rude ones for sure won't bother to thank if not kena scolded :D

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  35. If I am a waiter and someone asks "Can I have .....?" I will answer "No." LOL

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    1. then you will kena fired very soon!! :D

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  36. Hmm this got me thinking.. I am guilty of saying "can i have this please " too! LOL! I guess it's more like a second nature to me since I do it without realising. But it doesn't hurt to be more polite I guess.. :P

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    1. now you are in Sydney, perhaps you can observe what the Aussie says when they make order and then share with us here?? hehe :p

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  37. Good Afternoon Bloggers! I am back for more action.

    This is a tricky question that made me think so long to find the right answer. There is no right or wrongs here except that it's either British or American culture, I would say. Both the cultures would say thanks to anyone who provided services. I would do the same with a pat and thanks to male servers. If females served me, my hands would not move otherwise kena accused for groping.

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    1. I had to rehearse the phrase of ordering food few times until I could tell that my style at a McD outlet is...... "Give me a big Mac please!" "I want a Big Mac"

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    2. I would say that in America they have totally different speaking culture that took me a long time to adapt.

      When you enter a fast food outlet, the server at counter would greet ~ "Hi Good Morning! For here or to go?"....

      Their typical customer's reply would be "Hi Good Morning. It is for here. Could you please give me a Big Mac!"....

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    3. indeed the British and Americans speak very differently.. i guess in Malaysia we are more accustomed to the British style huh?? thanks Twilight Man for sharing with us his experience in the USA, would be an eye-opener to see the diversity of culture..

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  38. You make so much sense here. I never thought it that way until you pointed it out. Yes, the second sentence sounds better. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you.

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    1. well don't have to be that serious lah, it's nothing right or wrong.. as long as you can communicate with the waiter, then it's good enough.. it's not what you say but how you say it.. politeness is the key, and the waiter will also be more happy to serve :)

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    2. Yeah, I agreed. It's nothing right or wrong. Most of them depends on our mood. If I strike a lottery, I may even be more courteous and talk with smiling face... probably ..Please kindly may I have a .... Thank you so so much...... :P

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    3. i have to say it's our tone of saying that decides whether we are courteous or rude.. hahaha, next time if i see your smiling face and with lots of please kindly may i and thank you so so much, i know you just strike a lottery!! :D

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  39. 'Can I have this or that?' sounds alright to me. It's just being courteous. Something I said that too instead of 'I want this or that'. "I like to have this or that' sounds good too.

    After being served, I always say 'Thank you.' It's already my habit. But I believe the person who serve us should say 'Thank you' too. It is a sign of being well-mannered.

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    1. Yup, I thought the same thing also, nowadays hardly get a thank you from people, is not about the Thank you very important to us, but it really means sort of well-mannered and the person who heard you said Thank you, it might also enlighten the person day a bit also (I believe that)

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    2. yes, there is no wrong and no right but it's just how we are going to say it.. i guess as long as it's well communicated then it's fine.. but i think the Thank You part in the end is kind of nice, in fact the person who served us will also like to hear this.. :)

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  40. 認同你的感覺,除非是提出一些非點餐要求就必須用這樣的句子/語氣,比如要胡椒粉/鹽或者冰水之類的。
    每當侍者端什麼上來,我都會說謝謝的~
    就算我是顧客,我也還是會跟對方說謝謝~
    感謝對方的付出嘛~一句謝謝,創造更美好的工作氣氛,也創造更有禮貌的世界,何樂而不為之?

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    1. 對對對!!! 你是真的把我要表達的給說了出來喇!!!
      give me five!! 呵呵~~ :)

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