Poco Mas, Por Favor

We had a new Elder and were on our way to a dinner appointment with a sister in the ward. The dinner menu... Menudo! If you aren't familiar with menudo, well... let me just say that you've got to experience it to appreciate it;-) We explained to the new Elder (who was struggling to learn Spanish) that it was very offensive to not eat what was placed before you, but if he didn't want any more after his first serving, all he had to do is say... "poco mas por favor." He practiced this phrase all the way to the dinner appointment and had it down pat by the time we got to the front door. As he struggled with the chewiness on his first serving of menudo (hint for first timers... you will wear out your jaws trying to chew the stuff... just swallow it whole;-) and finally emptied the bowl, the good sister came by with the soup and the ladle and asked... "Quiere mas?" The Elder had by this time mastered the phrase and said with an air of confidence... "poco mas, por favor." The sister just beamed as she filled up his bowl for a second serving. The new elder who thought he was going to die getting through the first bowl looked over at us flabergasted, at which point we reminded him that it was impolite not to eat the food that was placed before him. Maybe the sister didn't understand him, we suggested, and perhaps he had to enunciate his words a little better. So... he cowboyed up, finished his second bowl of menudo, and when the good sister came around again with the soup and ladel she asked the new Elder..."Te gusta?" This time he sat up straight, looked her directly in the eye and with a voice of conviction that Saint Peter himself could clearly understand... "POCO MAS, POR FAVOR!" The sister was thrilled! Finally (she said in rapid fire Spanish) there was an Elder that had arrived who appreciates her cooking and she was so glad that this Elder had come to her home. All this while she is ladling up his third bowl of menudo. Well, needless to say the rest of us were in stitches by this time and the new Elder just looked more perplexed. He somehow managed to finish his third round of menudo and finally figured out that perhaps "poco mas, por favor" didn't really mean what he thought it did.

Elder Guernsey

Texas San Antonio Mission