ChattyCathy wrote:
> Dave Smith wrote:
>> Maybe we should all get in the habit of raising a finger to signify
>> that the server should wait until we finish chewing and swallowing our
>> food, and then chew very slowly and carefully.
>
> That's a thought. We would have a whole restaurant full of people
> raising fingers <laugh>
>> I know that we have all had it happen, but let's face it..... they
>> brought us a meal, of course we are eating it, and we are going to
>> have our mouths full and be chewing for a good portion of the time.
>> Odds are that they are going to get us with a mouthful.
>
> And they know that. That's why they always come and ask "Is everything
> OK/How's your meal?" when I'm busy chewing. Bit hard for me to
> say, "No, it's awful." when I've got a mouth full of food...
>
> However, a couple of restaurants have a good practice here - well, I
> like it. They have a 'service indicator' on the table. Quite simple
> really. It's a block of wood shaped rather like an old fashioned hour
> glass. It's painted green on the one half and red on the other. As long
> as you have the green half pointing upwards, the wait staff leave you
> alone. If you turn it over and have the red part facing upward, they
> know you want their attention... When they come over to see what you
> want, that's when they're free to ask questions, clear away empty
> plates, glasses, etc.
>

I've only seen something like that in an Argentinian (maybe it was
Brazilian?) restaurant where they come around with swords full of meat.
If you turn the indicator upside down they won't keep piling meat onto
your plate. Then again we turned the thing over and they still piled up
the meat.

--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life