Crêpes

Have you ever encountered any problems with the word "crêpes?" I ask because the word seems to be a total mystery in America. A couple of years ago I was walking past a crêpe shop in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, when a guy behind me asked his friend, "What's a creep?" I was so shocked I turned around to make sure it wasn't a child asking the question. Then last night, I told my friend the "creep" story as we sat in a restaurant eating crêpes for dessert. However, my story didn't produce the desired polite laugh, and instead, she popped out with the question/accusation, "I always thought it was crêpes (kr-ay-ps), but you call it crêpes (kr-eh-ps)." I stopped in the middle of cutting my crêpes and looked down at them, wondering whether blowing on the powdered sugar would distract my friend from her searching question. Finally, I shrugged and made some excuse about how all British people butcher French words. When I got home, I immediately sat down before the computer. Google once again came to the rescue, and a happy gloating sensation filled me as I realized that it was the Americans that butchered French words.