It was about three in the afternoon that day when a couple of my friends and I decided to grab some lunch at a nearby cafe. When we first sat, we discussed what was going on in our lives and the solo trips that we had taken around Europe. We were all starving at that moment – as for me, it was the first meal that I was about to eat for the day. We were so lost in conversation that when we realized how hungry we were, around 45 minutes had already passed. Yet, no one had come to greet us, grab us drinks, or take our food order. I figured that I couldn’t be too frustrated as European culture focuses on eating as a leisure and something that time should be well spent on. So we left and found another cafe close by – it wasn’t a big deal but we were just so hungry at that point that it really frustrated us. At the next cafe, the same thing happened except this time we accepted it. The positive experience of this though, was that the servers we had were exceptionally kind to us. We had also sat outside which primarily indicated that you wanted to drink and not eat so I would say that it was on us for sitting in the wrong area. What I took from this was that I can’t expect American habits/experiences everywhere, not everything needs to be a rush. It’s also much more pleasant to have more time to get to know your friends and enjoy a meal with them instead of coming there for the sole purpose of just eating. Now, I can go to french restaurants and know what to expect – sometimes the service is really fast and then there are times when it isn’t. But the good news is, I’ve adapted/adjusted to this and so I know cues such as maybe I should call for the waiter/waitress instead of waiting on them. I also eat a little snack before dinner times as restaurants don’t open until later at night.
