Caused a scene in a cafe today. Now wondering if we were unreasonable

You did nothing wrong OP.
I'm amazed you didn't confront them in Welsh, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself.
I don't think this is exclusive to Wales though.
I used to work for a big UK university and we had lots of people from other countries in the group.
When talking as a group in English, sometimes the Chinese/Spanish/French/Russian would start talking to each other in their language mid conversation. It did seem a bit rude like they were having a go at us at the rest of us and didn't want us to understand!

The worst place I visited was just over the border in England. The place even has a Welsh name. I walked into a shop thinking I'd buy a few gifts to take home.

Now before I walked in, the staff were speaking to each other in Welsh., then as soon as I entered they switched to English. Could I get them to serve me in Welsh? Could I heck. Had to resort to some sort of sign language.

When I left, they switched back to Welsh. Ignorant and rude they were.
I didn't buy anything. It happened in a cafe too and the pub.

Fortunately, once back over Offa's Dyke, we stopped at that Scottish burger place. Food wasn't great and not Scottish at all IMO, but we were hungry and thirsty. Couldn't believe they didn't have Irn-Bru on the menu.

Oh I see,should have realised from your user name!

Same! @DaNiYmaOHyd is brilliant! 😆

The cafe/gift shop is the same place as the bakery. Tamed. It's in that street just off the High Street.

That Sioned who works there looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth but she's a chip of the old block. She has a nasty streak all right.

@DaNiYmaOHyd
I'm cracking up laughing but I think it's going over a lot of people's heads!

Is this the same gift shop, that when non Welsh speakers walk in; that the staff start chorusing, 'Ffalabalam-balo-bala-balay?'

Can you tell us the name of the cafe gifts shop @Nextdoor55 , please?

That is hilarious.

@KimberleyClark , it's all made up like the OP. Tamed is real though. It's in a fly-on-the-wall documentary about the people of the valley.

😂 😂 😂

@JubileeJuice , It's not in Caerfyrddin. It's Tamed in Cwmderi. The owner is despicable, she's in gaol for shooting a man who used to work for her.

Clearly not. I've just asked my family, my colleagues and a few friends, all from Carmarthen, and no one has a clue what you mean.

Sounds like you've just made that up, seeing as you can't tell me what it's called or where it is.

I can tell. It was worse in Spain. They point blank refused to speak English, despite us speaking very slowly and loudly. As soon as we closed the door they were laughing at us, in English.

How the hell did you know what language they were speaking before you walked in the shop?

Such common knowledge that you have no idea where it is.

I don't know what it's called & I'm not sure of the name of the street but it's pretty common knowledge,

I live in a community referenced in this thread where apparently Welsh people switch languages when they hear English people speaking. I live in this same community with English in-laws who speak in a similar upper-class accent to minor royals. I also have many English friends who live here. Isn’t it strange, that not only am I as a Welsh speaker completely unaware of this convention where we exclude English speakers in our company by speaking Welsh; but my English family and friends have never mentioned it happening to them either.

Sometimes as a Welsh speaker, my timings can overlap and I’m closing a conversation in Welsh, but then turn to English to speak to the non-Welsh speaker who's just arrived. Also, if I'm in a group of people, some of whom don’t speak Welsh, I am likely to lapse into Welsh if my question / answer is directed privately to the Welsh speaker.

There isn’t rule which states that English people must never hear native languages, even though they were not present when the original conversation began; or the conversation isn’t directed at them. I have never been accused of rudeness when my timings overlap/ language mixes; but am instead more likely to be asked to continue speaking Welsh so that the other person can hear it / learn.

This makes me proud of my English/ German/ French friends who have settled here and have made significant attempts to learn our language/ culture. My German friend even organised a Twmpath Dawns at her home to celebrate a birthday.

P.s. I was in the company of her German family, speaking German together at this event. Not once did I feel they were excluding me. They were just talking to each other in their own language.
Danke Schon!

😁

French people in a French cafe were speaking English to one another?

That's happened to me too.

Before I walked in they were chatting in English, but as soon as they saw me they looked at each other knowingly and switched to French. I understood every word of course and told them that I wasn't Anglaise, and then they smiled with relief and switched back to English.

I'm from Carmarthen. Which bakery is this? I've never, ever heard anything about it.

No, they seem to believe there is something so astonishingly important about them that people instantly feel the need to talk in another language as soon as they walk in. Because obviously as soon as an English person walks in, the Welsh feel the need to discuss them amongst each other. It’s completely unfair to people like that poster, who should be able to understand any and every conversation going on in every shop/cafe/pub etc they walk into. I mean that’s the whole point of going to these places isn’t it, to listen to other people’s conversations.

I had a similar experience in France, it was so annoying. As soon as I walked into a shop, all the locals started speaking French to each other. Cafes too would you believe

Do you seriously think that first language Welsh people were randomly speaking their second language before you walked in? How could you even know which language they were speaking before you walked in

I can’t believe how many people have said this on this thread, it’s baffling