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Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
5,921 posts, read 13,864,691 times
Reputation: 5229
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yorkie Bar
Yes, although aren't there some places where nodding the head and shaking the head are reversed? All this foreign travel is fraught with danger!
Whoaaa ... , yes in Bulgaria !!
Sorry, I forgot all about that !
But ...
The nod is not a head up and down movement.
It is more like moving your chin up !
Even stranger is the verbalising of yes or no (in their language)
If you say it twice, then it might mean NO !
Conversely with the *no*.
Say it twice it might mean YES !!
I am from Europe and familiar with most countries. I live in the US now and find that there are less differences than most people think.
You can't go by the stereotypes.
So here is what I can think of:
Eat with your fork and knife the whole time. Northern Europeans don't cut their food and then eat it with the fork only as many Americans do.
Don't expect the water to be free. It is not.
Don't expect any free refills. They do not exist.
The waiters tend to be slower and will not come ask for desert while you still enjoy your entree. So be patient as Europeans tend to site and socialize in restaurants forever.
In the higher class restaurants the servers take your coat and hang it up for you. They also pull out the chairs for you and are extra polite. Let's say that is what they should do.
In general Europeans are not as personal and do less small talk. Some are rude if short lipped if you are from a different country.
In the US I have always been welcome and never got treated any different. It's a way friendlier and service oriented world.
Well, I'm in the hostelry business and that topic is being discussed here, on the Med coast.
There are parents that go to restaurants with toddlers and young kids and then they start to scream, cry, run and bother other customers....before whenever that happened parents removed kids or tried to appease them..but not anymore,,so some customers get real mad.
I haven't seen Americans behaving this way, English yes, some English let their kids loose in a restaurants as if they were in a park, and when somebody tell them to take care of their kids, they say they don't know the kid.
restaurant
- Let them eat with a fork on the left hand and a knife/spoon on the right. Use both hands.
hotel
- Don't watch television while eating. Try to eat/watch TV with your mouth closed.
museum, park manners
- Don't shout, yell.
don't talk to complete strangers. not very popular in any part of europe. (learn to know them first). otherwise, you'll come across as a douche.
I have talked with many Europeans throughout my travels, and I never encountered this. Of course I am polite, well dressed and friendly. I have had 80 year old Parisian ladies converse with me on the subway.
I have had grandfathers give me a special sangria that is better than what the bartender gave me.
I find people all over Europe to be open to dialogue.
Location: Segovia, central Spain, 1230 m asl, Csb Mediterranean with strong continental influence, 40º43 N
3,094 posts, read 3,578,743 times
Reputation: 1036
Quote:
Originally Posted by kronan123
don't talk to complete strangers. not very popular in any part of europe. (learn to know them first). otherwise, you'll come across as a douche.
I would also add don't be weird by smiling way too much to complete strangers, as American often do.
We Europeans tend to smile to friends or relatives, in a true way.
don't talk to complete strangers. not very popular in any part of europe. (learn to know them first). otherwise, you'll come across as a douche.
How do you people make friends?
Quote:
Originally Posted by overdrive1979
I would also add don't be weird by smiling way too much to complete strangers, as American often do.
We Europeans tend to smile to friends or relatives, in a true way.
A smile bothers people? lmfao
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lmfao
