- Another coffee here, chère. - Coming right up, Virgil.The Princess and the Frog · 2009 — Chapter 3 of 14 · 2'31" · B1
Tiana Works Toward Her Restaurant, Explained: two left feet
Tiana spends Mardi Gras waiting tables instead of dancing, saving every shift for a restaurant of her own. Friends tease her and warn her chances are slim, but an invitation to cater a ball puts her dream suddenly within reach: "This is it! I'm getting my restaurant!"
What happens
At the diner, Tiana turns down her friends' invitation to dance, choosing a double shift to keep saving for her own restaurant. Her regulars doubt she can ever afford the down payment. Then she delivers food to the La Bouff house, where Charlotte announces that a prince is coming and offers Tiana a catering job.
Listen for
two left feetLive a littlethe bee's kneesabout as much chance
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Phrase of the scene
two left feet
to be clumsy, especially bad at dancing
朋友们喊蒂安娜晚上去跳舞，她推说自己天生手脚笨，其实真正的原因是放不下攒钱开餐馆的计划。
He swears he can't dance, blaming his two left feet.
Also in this scene
- Live a little
relax and enjoy life instead of being too cautious or serious
- the bee's knees
excellent; the very best
- about as much chance
almost no chance at all, compared with something equally unlikely
Everything marked in this scene
16 notes across 51 lines
We all going out dancing tonight. Care to join us?relax and enjoy life instead of being too cautious or serious
- Yeah, come on. Live a little. - Come on, Tiana.to be clumsy, especially bad at dancing
You know I got two left feet. Besides, I'm...I'm going to work a double shift tonight.Girl, all you ever do is work.Are you talking about that dang restaurant again?Oh! You ain't never going to get enough for the down payment.almost no chance at all, compared with something equally unlikely
You got about as much chance of getting that restaurant as I do of winning the Kentucky Derby!Caught me completely by surprise,for the fifth year in a row!- Tia, Tia, Tia, did you hear the news? - Hey, Charlotte.excellent; the very best
Oh! Isn't he the bee's knees?A little word of advice. My mama always said, "The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach."Tia! You are a bona fide genius.Excuse me, Daddy. Will this about cover it?Tiana Works Toward Her Restaurant, explained
What's really going on
The chapter sets up Tiana's whole problem in one shift. She is good at her job and loved by the people she serves, and that is exactly the trap: everyone else is living a little while she works. "Girl, all you ever do is work," a friend says, and the complaint is both affectionate and a warning. The fun around her is Mardi Gras, and she keeps saying no. Then the plot hands her a shortcut: catering money from a rich friend who does not need it. "This is it! I'm getting my restaurant!" The joy is real, but so is the setup—her dream is now tied to someone else's ball.
Theme
DreamsTiana skips Mardi Gras and takes double shifts, all to open the restaurant she has always wanted.
ClassThe rich La Bouffs can hand over the catering money Tiana cannot earn fast enough, tying her dream to wealth.
- Yeah, come on. Live a little. - Come on, Tiana.A friendly push to stop working and enjoy the night. It sums up the divide between Tiana and everyone around her.
A little word of advice. My mama always said, "The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach."Old family wisdom offered as a joke, and the line that gives Tiana the idea to cook her way into her dream.
Tia! You are a bona fide genius.Oversized praise for a simple plan, delivered with the excitement that turns a small idea into a scheme.
Girl, all you ever do is work.Half-teasing, half-concerned: it names the thing that defines Tiana and keeps her apart from her friends.
This is it! I'm getting my restaurant!The moment hope becomes certainty. After a whole scene of doubt, the dream suddenly looks close enough to touch.
Questions about this scene
Why does Tiana skip Mardi Gras to work?
She is saving for a restaurant of her own and treats every shift as progress. Dancing with friends would cost her the night, so she turns it down and takes a double shift.
How does Tiana finally get the money for her restaurant?
Charlotte's family hires her to cater their masquerade ball for Prince Naveen. The fee is large enough to cover the down payment, which is why she suddenly believes the dream is real.
What does "two left feet" mean here?
It means being clumsy, especially at dancing. Tiana uses it as a light excuse for not joining her friends, saying she was born unable to dance.
Why do her friends keep teasing her about the restaurant?
They think she works too hard and doubt the plan will ever pay off. Their joking is affectionate, but it also voices the doubt that hangs over her the whole chapter.
The Princess and the Frog · 14 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 4do you one betterTiana Dreams of Her Restaurant
Chapter 1lived happily ever afterMama Reads the Frog Prince
Chapter 2set your mind toTiana's Father Teaches Her to Dream
Watching · Chapter 3two left feetTiana Works Toward Her Restaurant
Chapter 4do you one betterTiana Dreams of Her Restaurant
Chapter 5friends on the other sideThe Shadow Man Offers a Deal
Chapter 6cutting a rugTiana Meets the Frog Prince
Chapter 7had the gall toTiana and Naveen Argue as Frogs
Chapter 8would give anything toThe Frogs Meet a Jazz Gator
Chapter 9a stick in the mudTiana Teaches Naveen to Cook
Chapter 10dig a little deeperMama Odie Tells Them to Dig Deeper
Chapter 11do whatever it takesNaveen Confesses to Tiana
Chapter 12forever hold your peaceThe Wedding Gets Interrupted
Chapter 13the crown jewel ofFacilier Tempts Tiana with Her Dream
Chapter 14Warts and allTiana Chooses Love Over Her DreamChapter 3 of 14 · about 32 min to go