One aspect from my host culture that I had a hard time adjusting to was adapting to aspects about eating out in Europe. I am in London, and restaurants are much different then in America. In this country, waitstaff are less actively attentive to their tables and also check in on you less while you are eating. At the time of this instance, it was at the beginning of my study abroad experience. One instance in particular that I recall is on my birthday. I planned a dinner with my friends and a show on the west end following. I allowed 2.5 hours before the show on my reservation. I believed that would be enough time to wrap up dinner and get to the show. I’ve done this in NYC for broadway shows all the time, and when you dine in the broadway district, they normally ask you if you have a show to catch. This restaurant did not mention anything about a show beforehand, so I made sure to bring it up when my group arrived. The service, as usual in Europe, was slower than what I was used to in America. They give you a lot of time to figure out what you are ordering, and only bring the check when you are able to catch the waitstaff’s attention. The time was ticking, and the 2.5 hours went by really quick. I was in a hurry to leave the restaurant so I could catch the show, and I made it just in time. This was a very stressful situation for me and I felt overwhelmed; I was very anxious that I would miss the show that I was very excited to see for my birthday. I believe that someone who was from Europe would of equated for more time, or even skip the dinner before the show and go for it after. I know that the British view Americans as fast paced, and that could sometimes be seen as rude. I was aware of this cultural aspect of dining out in Europe, but this experience made me realize that it takes a lot longer than the traditional American restaurant.
As an anthropology major, I am well aware that cultural differences occur abroad and in our own home countries. I feel as if this experience, as well as all of my experiences traveling abroad in Europe have given me a fuller and more in depth picture of the world. I would never intend on having an ethnocentric viewpoint when observing other cultures, especially when I’m the outsider. This experience at the restaurant helped me realize that it is different living in the experiences than reading about them. Being patient and understanding is the most important thing in these situations, and I tried my best to replicate that on my birthday dinner. As someone who plans on pursuing anthropology as a profession and completing numerous ethnographies, I will take all of the vital cultural information I learned adjusting to British culture and store it in my memory bank.