American restaurants have totally different rules when it comes to etiquette and serving!
To begin with, you notice that the waiters and waitresses are more friendly. However, I don't really count this as a difference: American people are more friendly in general. (Even if sometimes their Barbie doll smiles seem somewhat false, you can guarantee the smile will be there.)
These are the biggest differences I've noticed at EVERY restaurant I've been to so far here:
1. You don't ask for the bill - they bring it to you at the end of your meal. In fact, sometimes you don't even have to finish eating. They'll often bring the bill even when you're half way through a dish. It might not seem like a big difference, but for someone who not accustomed, it does feel rude - as if they're trying to get your money and get you out! That's not really the case, its just a different custom, and in a way, more convenient. It just feels weird for someone English!
2. If you have food left when you finish eating, they ask you if you want a "to-go box". This happens whether it's a greasy-spoon cafe or an upmarket restaurant. They give you a big polystyrene box to spoon any leftovers you want to take home - salad, fries, whatever it is you want to keep. This can sometimes be really useful: in England, the taking home of leftovers is usually something your grandmother does surreptitiously by sneaking food into a hankie concealed in her handbag. But mainly, I think it's really just another example of American gluttony. To explain, this brings me on to the next striking difference:
3. The portions here are huge, and even the hungriest fat bastard usually has food left at the end of their meal. I've started ordering child's portions, and they're still bigger than usual adult portion at a restaurant in England.
4. This next difference only counts for cafes and restaurants with a breakfast menu. The concept of a "proper" cooked breakfast does not seem to exist in America. There are lots of options: pancakes, muffins, waffles, even eggs with bacon and hash browns. Yes, I know that the breakfast I have in mind is called an "English Breakfast". But I was sure they'd have it here... They don't :-(
I tried to order the closest I could to an English breakfast and this is what I got: firstly, the waitress stared at me as if I was an alien and asked "you want bacon and sausage!?!" Then, when it arrived, it was not how I imagined... The egg was there, fine. The bacon was there, crispy - fine. The hash brown... well, the hash browns were kind of huge and thin. Then my sausage arrived (on a seperate plate, after the rest of my breakfast). It was basically what I would call a burger! Now I've been to Scotland, where the sausages are square, but they still taste like sausages. This "sausage" looked and tasted like a burger. And burgers don't go with breakfast! Some of these Americans need to do a google search on sausage:
(Don't forget to make sure SafeSearch is on...) See! Even "The Sausage Queen" has the right idea! How can it be that hard to come up with a genuine sausage when a cooked breakfast is in order? Oh yes - and while I'm at, beans! Beans! There are NO beans! You can get baked beans here, oh yes, but for some reason, they are excluded from breakfast! And don't get me started on the availability of tea!!
When I get back to England, the first thing I want to do is to stop at a REAL greasy spoon and order a full English! With Tea!
I'll update again soon when I have some real news from my holiday :-) I'm worried about my internet connection at the moment though - so updates may become less frequent if I lose internet access at home and have to start using the library in town.
To begin with, you notice that the waiters and waitresses are more friendly. However, I don't really count this as a difference: American people are more friendly in general. (Even if sometimes their Barbie doll smiles seem somewhat false, you can guarantee the smile will be there.)
These are the biggest differences I've noticed at EVERY restaurant I've been to so far here:
1. You don't ask for the bill - they bring it to you at the end of your meal. In fact, sometimes you don't even have to finish eating. They'll often bring the bill even when you're half way through a dish. It might not seem like a big difference, but for someone who not accustomed, it does feel rude - as if they're trying to get your money and get you out! That's not really the case, its just a different custom, and in a way, more convenient. It just feels weird for someone English!
2. If you have food left when you finish eating, they ask you if you want a "to-go box". This happens whether it's a greasy-spoon cafe or an upmarket restaurant. They give you a big polystyrene box to spoon any leftovers you want to take home - salad, fries, whatever it is you want to keep. This can sometimes be really useful: in England, the taking home of leftovers is usually something your grandmother does surreptitiously by sneaking food into a hankie concealed in her handbag. But mainly, I think it's really just another example of American gluttony. To explain, this brings me on to the next striking difference:
3. The portions here are huge, and even the hungriest fat bastard usually has food left at the end of their meal. I've started ordering child's portions, and they're still bigger than usual adult portion at a restaurant in England.
4. This next difference only counts for cafes and restaurants with a breakfast menu. The concept of a "proper" cooked breakfast does not seem to exist in America. There are lots of options: pancakes, muffins, waffles, even eggs with bacon and hash browns. Yes, I know that the breakfast I have in mind is called an "English Breakfast". But I was sure they'd have it here... They don't :-(
I tried to order the closest I could to an English breakfast and this is what I got: firstly, the waitress stared at me as if I was an alien and asked "you want bacon and sausage!?!" Then, when it arrived, it was not how I imagined... The egg was there, fine. The bacon was there, crispy - fine. The hash brown... well, the hash browns were kind of huge and thin. Then my sausage arrived (on a seperate plate, after the rest of my breakfast). It was basically what I would call a burger! Now I've been to Scotland, where the sausages are square, but they still taste like sausages. This "sausage" looked and tasted like a burger. And burgers don't go with breakfast! Some of these Americans need to do a google search on sausage:
(Don't forget to make sure SafeSearch is on...) See! Even "The Sausage Queen" has the right idea! How can it be that hard to come up with a genuine sausage when a cooked breakfast is in order? Oh yes - and while I'm at, beans! Beans! There are NO beans! You can get baked beans here, oh yes, but for some reason, they are excluded from breakfast! And don't get me started on the availability of tea!!
When I get back to England, the first thing I want to do is to stop at a REAL greasy spoon and order a full English! With Tea!
I'll update again soon when I have some real news from my holiday :-) I'm worried about my internet connection at the moment though - so updates may become less frequent if I lose internet access at home and have to start using the library in town.
4 comments:
Awww...no English Brekkie with a nice cuppa :-(
I'll make sure we have some nice pork chipolatas, back bacon and Foghorn Leghorn free range eggs in, when you get back!
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