Aria footnote.
There is a difference between fine dining restaurants in the UK, USA and Australia.
In the USA, the waiter is obviously hoping to become a member of your family - 'Hi, my name is Tom and I'll be your waiter for tonight.'
In the UK, not only has the waiter no interest in becoming a member of your family, he has no interest in waiting you either; in fact he should be sitting where you are and you should be serving him.
In Australia, the waiter is already a member of your family and has no hesitation in relating intimate anecdotes about other members of the family (yours, his, 'ours'). We had been seated for dinner at our table in Aria for only a few moments when our waiter came to the table to discuss the menu. We were looking out of the window at the harbour bridge and remarked how wonderful the view was and how amazing it was that even as dusk fell, there were still groups of bridge walkers climbing to the top. 'Yes', said the waiter. 'Before it was officially opened to walkers, my brother-in-law shagged his girl-friend right at the top.' We expressed our surprise not only at this news, but also at the manner of it's announcement. Our waiter obviously mistook our expressions for admiration as he now proceeded to tell us the whole terrifying yet romantic tale of how his sister had persuaded her then boyfriend to climb the bridge with her. As there is no such thing - at least in the minds of Australian males - of a guy who will wimp out when confronted with a physical challenge - we were told how he suppressed his terror and duly undertook this hazardous endeavour. When they reached the top, he proposed, she accepted and they had a shag on the top of the harbour bridge.
You can imagine our surprise at being regaled with this story of adrenalin and human misdemeanour. We just put it down the eccentricities of the Australian character and got on with ordering our meal.
There is a difference between fine dining restaurants in the UK, USA and Australia.
In the USA, the waiter is obviously hoping to become a member of your family - 'Hi, my name is Tom and I'll be your waiter for tonight.'
In the UK, not only has the waiter no interest in becoming a member of your family, he has no interest in waiting you either; in fact he should be sitting where you are and you should be serving him.
In Australia, the waiter is already a member of your family and has no hesitation in relating intimate anecdotes about other members of the family (yours, his, 'ours'). We had been seated for dinner at our table in Aria for only a few moments when our waiter came to the table to discuss the menu. We were looking out of the window at the harbour bridge and remarked how wonderful the view was and how amazing it was that even as dusk fell, there were still groups of bridge walkers climbing to the top. 'Yes', said the waiter. 'Before it was officially opened to walkers, my brother-in-law shagged his girl-friend right at the top.' We expressed our surprise not only at this news, but also at the manner of it's announcement. Our waiter obviously mistook our expressions for admiration as he now proceeded to tell us the whole terrifying yet romantic tale of how his sister had persuaded her then boyfriend to climb the bridge with her. As there is no such thing - at least in the minds of Australian males - of a guy who will wimp out when confronted with a physical challenge - we were told how he suppressed his terror and duly undertook this hazardous endeavour. When they reached the top, he proposed, she accepted and they had a shag on the top of the harbour bridge.
You can imagine our surprise at being regaled with this story of adrenalin and human misdemeanour. We just put it down the eccentricities of the Australian character and got on with ordering our meal.
Comments