A customer at a Mexican restaurant attempted to school a server by correcting the server’s accurate pronunciation of a Mexican dish.
In the TikTok video documenting the encounter posted by Jasmine (@jjasminevega) on June 7, the TikToker recalled how a customer who ordered tamales, referring to the dish in the Americanized pronunciation, got upset when the server used the authentic Spanish pronunciation.
@jjasminevega and bonus points to the customers/friends who ask how to pronounce a word correctly😘😘 #mexicanfood #spanish #mexicanrestaurant #whitewashed ♬ original sound – jas ⍤
“Perhaps it’s my refusal to let Mexican food be yet another thing on the checklist for America to whitewash, but I will not mispronounce Spanish words for the convenience of others,” Jasmine remarked in her video.
According to the TikToker, the customer took offense to her Spanish pronunciation and tried to correct her. “I said, ‘Yes we do have tamales,'” using the correct accent placement en Español.
“But she’s like, ‘No, not tamales, tamalees’. I said, ‘Yes, tamales,’ she said ‘No, I don’t know what that is, I’m asking for tamalees.’
The TikToker also said that she doesn’t expect everyone to pronounce Spanish words correctly, adding, “Lord knows I probably mispronounce when I go to Italian or Asian restaurants, but don’t get mad when people do pronounce it the right way.”
The video has received over 134,900 views with many viewers finding the video relatable.
One of the commenters expressed, “Me saying carnitas correctly at Chipotle and the employees acting like they’ve never heard that word before.”
Another said, “My coworker is like that. She say ‘bre-uh’ instead of birria and when I say it correctly she tells me to ‘speak English’.”
“I cannot roll my R’s for the life of me but I definitely don’t expect others to pronounce it wrong for my issues,” a third added.
Another said, “At this point it’s on purpose right?!!” adding an “Ugh” for effect.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jasmine via TikTok direct messages for comment.