I Just Want Chips

I don't understand the British language. I was at a Mexican restaurant last night, have a couple of drinks and snacks before going to a concert (more on that later). In need of a taste of America (well Mexico, but close enough), I asked the bartender for some chips and guacamole. He looked at me strangely and told me he needed to check with his manager first. I sat and watch him and the manager have a quick conversation, point at me, and talk some more. He finally comes back over and says "yeah we can do that" and proceeds to spend 5 minutes typing away on the kiosk to ring up my order.

It's during this process I realize that something has gone horribly wrong. In the back of my head a light goes off: "chips" aren't actually chips here, they're french fries. So I call the bartender back over, explain what's going on, and we both have a quick laugh. I elaborate on my original order, explaining that I actually want corn chips and guacamole. "Oh right, you want nachos," he says. I tell him that in America nachos mean just chips and cheese, and I definitely didn't want cheese. But apparently it's different over here so — for the first time in my life — I order nachos (and guacamole).

A few minutes later my order shows up and (much to my unfortunate surprise) nachos in England are, in fact, exactly the same as nachos in America. Except I have a tiny dollop of guacamole in the corner. Thanks. So I'm stuck with a plate of nachos for dinner. But it's 7:00pm, I haven't eaten since breakfast, and the nachos cost a staggering 6 pounds, so I saddled up and ate an entire plateful of cheese covered chips. Europe makes you do strange things.

The end result is that I still have no idea what the English call chips. Crisps, perhaps? I think that's just for potato chips, though. A task for my next trip, I guess.