English Original
Two Americans were traveling in Spain. One morning, they entered a small restaurant for lunch. They did not speak Spanish, and their waiter did not speak English. They wanted to convey that they desired some milk and sandwiches.
First, they repeated the word "milk" several times. Then, they spelled it out. Still, the waiter could not understand.
Finally, one of the men took out a piece of paper and began to draw a cow. As he was finishing the drawing, the waiter glanced at it and hurried out of the restaurant. "You see," remarked one traveler, "how useful a pencil can be for someone facing difficulties in a foreign country?"
Some time later, the waiter returned, but he did not bring any milk.
Instead, he placed two tickets for a bullfight in front of the men.
中文翻译
两个美国人在西班牙旅行。一天上午，他们走进一家小餐馆吃午饭。他们不会说西班牙语，侍者也不会说英语。他们想让侍者明白，他们想要一些牛奶和三明治。
起初，他们重复了好几遍“牛奶”这个词。接着，他们又把它拼写出来。然而，侍者还是不明白。
最后，其中一人拿出一张纸，开始画一头牛。就在他快要画完时，侍者看了一眼，便匆匆跑出了餐馆。“看到了吧，”一位旅行者说道，“一支铅笔对身处异国遇到困难的人来说是多么有用？”
过了一会儿，侍者回来了，但他并没有拿来牛奶。
相反，他在两人面前放了两张斗牛表演的门票。