In this thread you ask how to behave in restaurants and other locations, and people who have been ou

[mordecai]



I was standing with my hands behind me once and my asshole boss told me that I looked like a security guard, then continued that it was obvious that I didn't read poetry.

I hope you told him that you wished for an apple to fall on his head, rendering him unconscious.

 

[Piobaire]



2. Since both my grandfather and father were members of the local golf club as a descendant I automatically became member of the club as well.
It is a fairly small club with only 1000 permanent members in it.
People who aren't one of those 1000 can buy a yearly green fee, but they won't be able to join the club before somebody else leaves.

There are far more old members to the club than generative ones.
Every year more old members die than are born to the young ones, so they are keen on as many young people to join the club as possible.
Every years admission sees the first 10,15 spots given to children of only 5 or 6 years of age.

First, at memberships being given to a five year old.

Second: first quote outsiders are waiting for people to leave. Second quote more people are dying off than being born to replace hereditary members, such that children barely out of diapers are receiving memberships. Can I be the first to say you are full of ****?

 

[Piobaire]



@Fuuma:
I think he has a point. Maybe US and European societies are different but it actually is well mannered in Europe if you are vigilant in everyday life. One good deed a day is no bad attempt. Greeting when you are taking a walk in nature and crossing other people every quarter hour should be standard. But apparently they often get frightened when one says "Hello" "Good day" "Hallo" "Grüetzi" "Salut" or whatever. Even the elder ones. Greeting in a small village should be normal, too. Greeting everyone in a large city might be a bit awkward.

This could be just a story someone told me but I heard European societies are actually all different too.

 

[Fuuma]



First, at memberships being given to a five year old.

Second: first quote outsiders are waiting for people to leave. Second quote more people are dying off than being born to replace hereditary members, such that children barely out of diapers are receiving memberships. Can I be the first to say you are full of ****?

That's sorta sounds like the subprime crisis to me....

 

[b1os]



This could be just a story someone told me but I heard European societies are actually all different too.

Please tell me one society in the world in which being attentive, helpful, polite and honouring the eldery is considered rude or barbarian.
So why are you bitching about Louis XIV? I mean, besides the golf thing. Am I missing something or is my world view fucked up, too? Or is this some country beef thing?

 

[Fuuma]



I hate something like that. My dad and I went into a hip café a couple of weeks ago. Been there a few times, always good/okay service. This time we enter, want to order something at the counter. Place wasn't too full. The barista is busy making a few espressi. She glances at us. That's it. She completely ignored us. We were the only ones in the line. After three minutes she finally asked us what she can get us. No "Sorry you had to wait", no "Sorry, need to finish these first, will get your order in a minute" in the beginning. She prefered to do her job about 1 metre away from us and ignoring us. How can you more directly show that the customers are unwanted?
In another street café the waiters are so inattentive they don't ask you if they can get you a refill or so after your glass is empty for half an hour. I even caught them once or twice glancing at the empty glasses but ultimately ignoring it. Three people, three empty glasses, one is able to beg for a refill, waiter says okays and doesn't even look or ask whether the other ones at the table want something, too. They could like double their orders if they had attentive waiters. Only reason they survive is because of the great location. Much sun (if there is any in Hamburg..). We still give normal tip, like 10%, sometimes a bit more. But actually they deserve the minimum. But it would be a bummer as there are one or two attentive ones among like 5 others. As they split their tipping it would be kinda unfair for the endeavouring ones.

@Fuuma:
I think he has a point. Maybe US and European societies are different but it actually is well mannered in Europe if you are vigilant in everyday life. One good deed a day is no bad attempt. Greeting when you are taking a walk in nature and crossing other people every quarter hour should be standard. But apparently they often get frightened when one says "Hello" "Good day" "Hallo" "Grüetzi" "Salut" or whatever. Even the elder ones. Greeting in a small village should be normal, too. Greeting everyone in a large city might be a bit awkward.

Please tell me one society in the world in which being attentive, helpful, polite and honouring the eldery is considered rude or barbarian.
So why are you bitching about Louis XIV? I mean, besides the golf thing. Am I missing something or is my world view fucked up, too? Or is this some country beef thing?

Would you walk around Hamburg saluting everyone you pass by? If you answer yes then you're a weirdo and invading your fellow citizens space and that's bad manners. In a countryside road where you meet a person every 5 hrs, ok.


The golf thing just made it blatantly obvious Jerry Lewis the XIV has some online gentleman pretensions and he should chill, especially since he's 23 and golfing with 5 y/o kids.

 

[b1os]



Would you walk around Hamburg saluting everyone you pass by? If you answer yes then you're a weirdo and invading your fellow citizens space and that's bad manners. In a countryside road where you meet a person every 5 hrs, ok.

[...]
Greeting when you are taking a walk in nature and crossing other people every quarter hour should be standard. [...]. Greeting in a small village should be normal, too. Greeting everyone in a large city might be a bit awkward.

I agree. In a small village, maybe a few hundred inhabitants tops it's about keeping your social network intact. In a big city it's kinda sensless and might be, as you pointed out, offending. One lives in big cities not only but also for anonymity. But sometimes it's too much anonymity. I feel like some of these people behave like robots, not giving a **** about anything, doing what they want to do without being aware of their surrounding. "If I don't step aside, the other will, if not, **** him" If you had a tough day, okay, but don't wreak it on others by passive anger (or however one should call that). But I thing I've already pointed that out.

 

[kwilkinson]



I hope you told him that you wished for an apple to fall on his head, rendering him unconscious.

I think I said "Yes, Chef Trotter, I'll try to work on that sir."
I was/am a *****.

 

[CalTex]



Nope. Growing up, the only ever real threat I got from my dad was to never, under any circumstance, embarrass him in public. My life was on the line every time we went to a restaurant. I never caused any problems and other diners would routinely come over to our table and complement me and my siblings on our table manners. It happened frequently enough that it was one of the reasons why we liked going out.

hahaha, well at least you learned.

 

[gomestar]



Valets: I tip on the way in and I tend to overtip. I will point directly at the spot I want, hand him a $20, and say, "Park me right there." Now, I mentioned my method once before and some folks said the car would be moved as soon as I went in. This has never happened to me. Ever. I'm not sure where you guys are going that your car goes from the VIP spots to door-ding land. I've had my car remain out front of a Ritz Carlton for three days in one of the six VIP spots like this.

Getting comped or partially comped: always tip based on what the bill would have been full up or more. If I am at one of my spots I will tip $50 on a $150 bar bill for myself as I probably was given $250 worth of food and drink. It's also smart behaviour as it encourages further comps on the next visit. If you're out at a spot you frequent and there's a 50% off bottle night, or second bottle half off, etc. always tip on the full cost.

on count one, I cannot comment since I do not own a car and haven't since college.

on count two, I agree. Thanks to my other half, we've been comped some pretty great meals and we always tip a **** load. Usually far more than 20% on what would have been the bill.

 

[Louis XIV]

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[freedom_fries]



I am living at a suburbia of the RheinMain area with a population of ~20.000 and yes, indeed, I do greet those 6,7,8 people an hour that I encounter directly on the streets.
It's not like I am yelling it from one side of the street to the other or that I disturb people who are in a conversation with somebody else.
Interesting how much of a shock this is to some of the people here that seem only to know the countryside with nobody around them in a radius of a few hundred kilometers or living in cities of a few million.
Also I have never complainted about people not greeting me in the first place, but only about those who I greeted and that could not be arsed to react to it with anything else than arrogance.
Fuuma, you are warmly welcomed to visit me at my place and have a look at how things work over here.
We can discuss about being a weirdo, fake or any of the other things you threw at my side without you even knowing me prior to my few posts in this topic afterwards like adults.

I don't know about the golf thing, but I will back up my boys in Germany on their complaints regarding peoples' everyday manners, especially vis-a-vis strangers. One of the few things that nearly all Germans I know who have visited the US have remarked to me upon is how nice, friendly and polite strangers are toward one another in daily life - at the grocery store, on the sidewalk, etc. This is not an illusion. And it makes me wonder why if everybody finds it so great they don't just act nicer. But they do not. Walking around a typical German city you're greeted with blank stares past you or scowls. In a typical German village people will actually stare AT you, mouths agape, the pinnacle of provincial vulgarism. In my experience, the only place you can find people who smile and greet each other, and even (OMG) begin conversations with one another is in the mountains, particularly the alps.

As for golf, it is in Germany an even more ridiculous game for young people to play than in the US. I believe that this predicament exists, as I am aware of several similar clubs. The reason these old farts are annoyed by your presence is that they've come to the golf club specifically to avoid people like you. You're lucky you've got white skin, I'll add.

In any event my recommendation for your golf thing would be to just step up your game (clothing wise) and wear whatever everyone else is wearing.

 

[Louis XIV]

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[Piobaire]



Please tell me one society in the world in which being attentive, helpful, polite and honouring the eldery is considered rude or barbarian.
So why are you bitching about Louis XIV? I mean, besides the golf thing. Am I missing something or is my world view fucked up, too? Or is this some country beef thing?

B1os, you missed the point. Americans are often accused of thinking in terms that are overly broad, not discerning differences amongst other countries. To create a scenario of the US culture vs. the "culture of Europe" is to commit that same error. The culture of southern Italy is far different from the culture of Denmark or Finland. This is what I was trying to point out to you.

As to His Majesty I was merely pointing out his two pieces of data about this alleged golf club do no ad up. As the second was an attempt to rebut something I said earlier its incongruence leads me to believe he is making things up as he goes and cannot keep his imaginary creation consistent.

 

[itsstillmatt]

I can't think of anybody who could be at a lower status at a golf club than a person who refuses to follow the traditions of a sport that is so tradition based, no matter who his grand pappy was. It is almost the definition of barbarian to act as he claims to.