Curiosity

Saturday night, Curt and I went to a little Szechuan restaurant called the Tea House before going to see a movie. At the table next to us, a curious phenomenon happened that I've observed before and continue to be puzzled about. The wait staff all spoke perfect English, but each of them seemed to have some degree of accent remaining, typical of someone who, at one time, was a non-native English speaker. So, when it came time to order, one of the otherwise normal gentlemen at the table next to us began to order in a voice that mimicked the accent of the waiter and was a few decibels higher than it should have been. I don't think he was trying to be disrespectful. I think he was actually trying to be helpful. Ever run into this before? It seems odd to me. I also wonder what the waiter thought of it. Hmmmmm.