Pizza...to Go!

This week I ordered pizza on the phone for the first time. While I’m fairly comfortable speaking Malagasy when I’m face-to-face with someone, I’m still working on talking on the phone. When I was preparing what I had to say, I was struck but how different it is ordering pizza here compared to the U.S. The last time I ordered pizza in Chicago, they already had my name and address because of some computerized system that recognizes the phone number when you call in. Not so, here. Even though we have a “street address,” we rarely use it. No one would be able to find your house by a street address alone. Instead, you have to go into a lengthy description of the route. I’ll include my dialog here just so you get the idea (it’ll also give you a flavor of the Malagasy language).

“Te hikomandy pizza izahay fa mantitra ati an-trano ve ianareo? Mipetraka eto Ambohinambo izahay. Mandalo ny fiangonana FJKM. Dia manohy dia mivily ankavanana dia misy sampanana. Mivily ankavia miaraka amin’ ny lalana “parve.” Rehefa tapatra ny “parve” dia mbola manohy amin’ ny lalantany. Dia misy tany malalaka amin’ ny ankavanana dia mivily amin’ ny ankavanana rehefa avy mandalo ny tany malalaka dia misy trano misy tafo maitso sy vavahady maitso io amin’ ny ankavia. Dia ao.”

And all this before I even said what kind of pizza I wanted!