I got lunch at Taqueria Lopez last week. Ordered in Spanish, and was inordinately proud of myself that my accent was good enough that the guy at the counter (the owner, I'd guess) gave me my total in Spanish too. Unfortunately it became quickly apparent that I'm not up to discussing numbers in Spanish, in fact "quesadilla con pastor" is about the extent of it. So the back end of the conversation ("here's your ticket" etc) was all in English.
Tonight I picked up dinner for Georg and myself, and though I gave it my best shot, this time it wasn't fooling anybody. Too many words! My total lack of fluency was much more obvious. I'll keep trying though. So how do you say "to go" in Spanish?
I always just say "para llevar" and they understand me--I don't know if it's officially the way to say it or not. I want to try Taqueria Lopez sometime. Maybe I can tag along with y'all and I can tutor you in restaurant spanish. If I'm stuck, then I just ask them "como se dice" whatever I want to say and then I learn something.
I got an email response to this post which also suggested "para llevar", so I think you're right. We should definitely go to Taqueria Lopez together! For one thing, I want you to tell me how to pronounce "llevar."
(Wait, are you a vegetarian? I was so enamored with the meaty goodness that I can't remember what vegetarian offerings they have, if any.)
Part of my problem is that I know about an equal (and equally tiny) amount of Spanish and Italian, and I tend to mix them up. For instance I'll pronounce a double "ll" like Spanish when trying to speak Italian, or use "e" instead of "y" in Spanish. I'd be trying so hard to remember not to pronounce "dice" like Italian, that "como se dice" would come out all stiff and weird. I think that no matter what I say, the clear message is "I ... do ... not ... speak ... your ... language."
:)
"...en una bolsa"?
I really miss Plaza Azteca, back in Newport News. Almost every Friday after work, we'd decide on carry-out, and Cathy'd get a potato burrito and I'd have Tacos de Chorizo. Three soft tacos of crumbled sausage, with separate containers of salsa and pico de gallo to add in, and sides of rice and refritos.
I couldn't even find tacos de chorizo at the taqueria by the highway in the Texas hill country. Woe.
I gave up my vegetarianism for Lent.