Why you need foreign languages I

When I was 16, I learned that one might need four languages to buy bread rolls:

My friends and I were on vacation in the Flemish part of Belgium. On the third day of the trip, it was my turn to buy something for breakfast. My friends had told me beforehand that the lady in the bakery wouldn’t understand German. Since I didn’t know the English term for bread rolls, I tried to speak French to her: “Je voudrais quatre petit pains, s’il vous plait.” [I’d like four bread rolls, please.]

I don’t know, if the store clerk didn’t understand French, was offended that I was speaking that language in a Flemish village or simply realized that I was not French. But she asked me in English, if I could repeat what I wanted. I pointed to the basked with the bread rolls and told her “Four of those things, please.”

When she handed me the bag full of pastries, I wanted to be polite and used the few Dutch words I know: “Dank je wel. Tot ziens.” [Thank you very much, goodbye.]

Then, she finally noticed my accent and answered me in perfect German: “Gerne geschehen. Kommen Sie morgen wieder?” [You’re welcome, will you be back tomorrow?]

What would I have done, if I hadn't known those four languages?