Two Minute Drill: NO Paella for YOU

What’s up Kaizenovators, Happy Tuesday Two Minute Drill. Today’s topic of conversation is kindness and persistence. I am in Valencia, Spain right now. A fun fact about Valencia, Spain, is that it’s the birthplace of Paella. I don’t remember ever having Paella before because I’m not a fan of a bunch of stuff on a plate together; I’m a food separator.

Kindness and Persistence

My hotel told me to go to this place called Casa Carmella, which is down by the beach. I went there yesterday at one o’clock, wanting to have some paella. They were like, NO, and I was like, huh? They said, “No, we have no room for you!” The guy outside said, no room. I asked, “when can I eat?” He told me to come back at 3:30 that day.

I sat outside waiting for someone to bring me at least some water or a beer, but nothing! About 10 minutes went by. I walked inside and explained to the hostess, “Hola, I’d like to have some Paella or some food and I was told I could come back at 3:30.” I was literally talking this fast to her in English, and she said, “Nomas”, giving me the hand. She didn’t want to have anything to do with me.

So, I stood there, and she went and got one of her colleagues who spoke English. I explained the situation, “I was told I could come back at 3:30. I just want to make sure I have a spot.” I was being very nice and polite, and I apologized to the hostess.

The hostess told me I could sit at the bar, but they don’t allow paella at the bar. No soup for you, no paella for you at the bar. I was hungry and wanted to eat. I sat at the bar. It looked like a nice restaurant, and I figured I’d have a good meal.

A nice woman from Madrid sat down next to me eventually. She ordered not the paella, but what they called “soupy rice”. It was like paella, rice, seafood, and all this other stuff, all mixed together.

She was very nice. I looked at her food and she looked at me. She asked if I wanted some, and I said, “Si?” She gave me some of her paella. So, I had paella in Valencia.

The moral of the story is, I was just being as nice as I could to the hostesses, who were really the gatekeepers about whether or not I could eat anything. They let me sit at the bar and I was able to eat some Paella in Valencia.

When you’re running into some challenges with people, just be nice. Put a smile on your face, be persistent when you really want something, and hopefully, you’ll get your paella.

That’s my fun story from Valencia. You guys have a great week and I’ll talk to y’all next week.

Your questions and feedback are always welcome and appreciated!
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