Hatunen

On Tue, 19 Mar 2002 22:10:23 -0000, "The Oik" <[email protected]> wrote:

    >
    >"Hatunen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >news:[email protected]...
    >> On Tue, 19 Mar 2002 03:48:53 GMT, "Aramis" <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>
    >> >Well, the French are notorious for sneering at everyone - and with so little
    >> >reason to look down those long noses too!
    >>
    >> I haven't been sneered at in France. I have been sneered at for being American in
    >> Canada, though.
    >>
    >This is a breakthrough - I demand that you share you secret with the rest of
    >Usenet!!! (OK, not the French generally, but certainly French waiters)

I've had no problem with French waiters. But then I haven't the resources to visit
restaurants where the waiters are snooty, whether in France, the USA, or elsewhere.

******* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *******
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * ******* My typos are
intentional copyright traps ******

Padraig Breathn

erilar <[email protected]> wrote:

    >I have, however, seen American tourists who richly deserve any hassling anyone can
    >come up with.

You are not allowed say that here!

PB

Aramis

Almost all humour is based on generalizations - the twist on the expected is what
creates the humour.

"grey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > On Tue, 19 Mar 2002 03:48:53 GMT, "Aramis" <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    > . . .
    > >Now I KNOW that not all Americans behave in the ways I noted above.
But
    > >enough do that we are all aware that their can be a negative
reaction.
    > >Generalizations are a part of human nature - humour wouldn't exist without it.
    >
    > Mean-spirited humor, you mean.
    >
    > How about being a little sensitive to the fact that this is a perpetually raw issue
    > on this group and, as you yourself say, "tone it down a little"? A little might go
    > a long way.

Steve Martin

"The Oik" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    >
    > "Hatunen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > On Tue, 19 Mar 2002 03:48:53 GMT, "Aramis" <[email protected]> wrote:
    > >
    > > >Well, the French are notorious for sneering at everyone - and with
so
    > > >little reason to look down those long noses too!
    > >
    > > I haven't been sneered at in France. I have been sneered at for
being
    > > American in Canada, though.
    > >
    > >
    > This is a breakthrough - I demand that you share you secret with
the rest
    > of Usenet!!! (OK, not the French generally, but certainly French
waiters)
    >

I avoid it by not asking for a full list of ingredients for every dish on the menu,
before ordering a salad. Another secret is when you have not understood what the
waiter said, ask him/her to repeat it, instead of turning to your companion and
yelling 'What did he say'.

--
Steve Martin.

Aramis

You guys are taking this particular clothing item too far. Yes, University and sports
teams logos are popular all over the world. I was referring to the fact that
Americans seem to take one or two of them (and not just a University one!) on every
trip. It seems they actually think this is an impressive gesture. No one wants to
know you are American - that's part of the resentment - the "look at me" aspect.

"Miguel Cruz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Jenn <[email protected]> wrote:
    > > The real joke here is that it is [or has been] a European fad to
wear
    > > American logos and English phrases on shirts etc. You are far more
like
    > > to find a young French or Italian kid in such silliness than an
American.
    >
    > Traveling in Morocco with one fellow Michigan alum and one not so
blessed,
    > we were amused by the astounding proliferation of Michigan
paraphernalia
    > there. Other schools were slimly represented, if at all, but each day
we'd
    > see several (sometimes a dozen) maize-and-blue M's.
    >
    > Also popular, as always, were the mysterious "University of College
Athletic
    > SPORTS ball team 100% winners!" style clothing.
    >
    > miguel
    > --
    > Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world:
http://travel.u.nu

The Oik

    > I avoid it by not asking for a full list of ingredients for every dish on the menu,
    > before ordering a salad. Another secret is when you have not understood what the
    > waiter said, ask him/her to repeat it, instead of turning to your companion and
    > yelling 'What did he say'.
    >
    >
Hmm, you are doing something different: I get it when I ask for a coffee in
French - maybe if I actually order food, as well?? (OK, it was tongue in cheek -
mostly, at least)

Robert Buxbaum

In article <[email protected]>, "Lurker Steve"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    > I'm an American planning on making my first trip to Europe soon, and was curious as
    > to which countries would give me the most/least hassles about being American? Sure,
    > those of us in the States make constant jokes about how arrogant the French are,
    > but is it true? How about Germany, Italy, UK, Greece...?
    >

Most of my European travel experience over the past 40 some odd years has been in
France. Needless to say, I've returned again and again. That should speak for the
reception I have received in France. No country is stereotypically perfectly good
or bad, but the French have been excellent hosts on the whole. I've not had trouble
in Germany or England although my experience has been brief. I've never been to
Greece. I've been to other countries in and out of Europe. Most people have been
very nice to me.

--
Food/Wine/Travel website with a French focus <http://www.worldtable.com> Paris, July
2001 <http://www.worldtable.com/reports/paris.jul.2001.html> France/food - eGullet
<http://www.egullet.com/ib3/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi

Miguel Cruz

Duncan Craig <[email protected]> wrote:
    > Demanding that "foreigners" (in their own country!) speak "American," asking "How
    > much is that in real money," or getting irate because some "foreigner" won't accept
    > U.S. dollars are good ways to start a "hassle!"

I enjoy a good round of condescenscion as much as the next guy, but I gotta say, the
only times I've seen Americans doing these particular things have been in the movies.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Ntaylor

On Tue, 19 Mar 2002 23:18:00 GMT, [email protected] (Miguel Cruz) wrote:

    >Duncan Craig <[email protected]> wrote:
    >> Demanding that "foreigners" (in their own country!) speak "American," asking "How
    >> much is that in real money," or getting irate because some "foreigner" won't
    >> accept U.S. dollars are good ways to start a "hassle!"
    >
    >I enjoy a good round of condescenscion as much as the next guy, but I gotta say,
    >the only times I've seen Americans doing these particular things have been in
    >the movies.
    >
They were pretty common in the 50s and 60s, the ugly American was only too true then.
Then came a period when the dollar was worth less than the yen or the mark, and, in
one case a load of stranded American tourists were rescued by some kind British
people when their travel company or airline went belly up. Today's travellers are
more open minded.

Snail

Miguel Cruz <[email protected]> wrote:
    >Duncan Craig <[email protected]> wrote:
    >> Demanding that "foreigners" (in their own country!) speak "American," asking "How
    >> much is that in real money," or getting irate because some "foreigner" won't
    >> accept U.S. dollars are good ways to start a "hassle!"
    >I enjoy a good round of condescenscion as much as the next guy, but I gotta say,
    >the only times I've seen Americans doing these particular things have been in
    >the movies.

This happened to a mate of mine (not a friend of a friend - if needed I can get him
to post . They were queued up to buy tickets to ascend the Eiffel tower and had a
"United States of America"[1] couple in front trying to use US dollars. The chap
at the counter refused and also refused their credit card, insisting on francs only.
The couple were offended that their attempts to pay were rejected. This was around
September 2000; like many Sydney locals we were in Europe avoiding the Olympics

[1] I often refer to such as either USAians or simply "yanks"
--
snail @ careless net ~ snail | Character is what you are in the dark! - Whorfin

Padraig Breathn

[email protected] (snail) wrote:

    >Miguel Cruz <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>Duncan Craig <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>> Demanding that "foreigners" (in their own country!) speak "American," asking "How
    >>> much is that in real money," or getting irate because some "foreigner" won't
    >>> accept U.S. dollars are good ways to start a "hassle!"
    >>I enjoy a good round of condescenscion as much as the next guy, but I gotta say,
    >>the only times I've seen Americans doing these particular things have been in
    >>the movies.
    >
    >This happened to a mate of mine (not a friend of a friend - if needed I can get him
    >to post . They were queued up to buy tickets to ascend the Eiffel tower and had a
    >"United States of America"[1] couple in front trying to use US dollars. The chap
    >at the counter refused and also refused their credit card, insisting on francs only.
    >The couple were offended that their attempts to pay were rejected. This was around
    >September 2000; like many Sydney locals we were in Europe avoiding the Olympics
    >
I can match that. In Rome, I queued at the Coliseum. There was an American
immediately in front of me. She tendered dollars to pay her admission, and was
refused. She then turned to me and asked me to exchange lira for her dollars, and
was surprised that I did not want to. I'm not sure if she was offended, but she was
not happy.

PB

Grey

On Tue, 19 Mar 2002 22:57:25 GMT, "Aramis" <[email protected]> wrote:

    >Almost all humour is based on generalizations - the twist on the expected is what
    >creates the humour.

Uh huh. As I said...

    >> How about being a little sensitive to the fact that this is a perpetually raw
    >> issue on this group and, as you yourself say, "tone it down a little"? A little
    >> might go a long way.

Go Fig

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
(snail) wrote:

    > Miguel Cruz <[email protected]> wrote:
    > >Duncan Craig <[email protected]> wrote:
    > >> Demanding that "foreigners" (in their own country!) speak "American," asking
    > >> "How much is that in real money," or getting irate because some "foreigner"
    > >> won't accept U.S. dollars are good ways to start a "hassle!"
    > >I enjoy a good round of condescenscion as much as the next guy, but I gotta say,
    > >the only times I've seen Americans doing these particular things have been in the
    > >movies.
    >
    > This happened to a mate of mine (not a friend of a friend - if needed I can get him
    > to post . They were queued up to buy tickets to ascend the Eiffel tower and had a
    > "United States of America"[1] couple in front trying to use US dollars.

IIFC... only about 35% of U.S. currency is within the U.S. geographical boarders at
any time. No world currency comes close to it in market opportunities. The U.S.
Dollar is the most secure monetary instrument in the world.

This happened to me!... when I went to Burma my first time I was traveling with some
Australians... did you know that for entry they had to change money, like me, but
their Australian Dollar was not accepted, It was the U.S. dollar that was in demand
by the government bank.

Does this surprise you given your apparent gaul in your friends story ?

jay Tue, Mar 19, 2002 mailto:[email protected]

The chap at the counter refused and also
    > refused their credit card, insisting on francs only. The couple were offended that
    > their attempts to pay were rejected. This was around September 2000; like many
    > Sydney locals we were in Europe avoiding the Olympics
    >
    > [1] I often refer to such as either USAians or simply "yanks"

--

Legend insists that as he finished his abject... Galileo muttered under his breath:
"Nevertheless, it does move."

Hatunen

On Wed, 20 Mar 2002 00:11:09 GMT, [email protected] (ntaylor) wrote:

    >On Tue, 19 Mar 2002 23:18:00 GMT, [email protected] (Miguel Cruz) wrote:
    >
    >>Duncan Craig <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>> Demanding that "foreigners" (in their own country!) speak "American," asking "How
    >>> much is that in real money," or getting irate because some "foreigner" won't
    >>> accept U.S. dollars are good ways to start a "hassle!"
    >>
    >>I enjoy a good round of condescenscion as much as the next guy, but I gotta say,
    >>the only times I've seen Americans doing these particular things have been in
    >>the movies.
    >>
    >They were pretty common in the 50s and 60s, the ugly American was only too
    >true then.

I have to question whether that was any more true then than it is now. Sure, I
remember the stories about it in the 1950s, but I suspect it wasn't much more common
then. Do you have anything at all to support your claim, other than anecdotes meant
to make a point?

    >Then came a period when the dollar was worth less than the yen or the mark, and, in
    >one case a load of stranded American tourists were rescued by some kind British
    >people when their travel company or airline went belly up. Today's travellers are
    >more open minded.

I wonder how true that is. None of the people I knew in the 1950s and early 1960s who
went to Europe seemed the type, nor did they tell stories about those savage
Europeans when they returned.

Now I don't doubt there were a few such boors, but ...

******* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *******
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * ******* My typos are
intentional copyright traps ******

Miguel Cruz

snail <[email protected]> wrote:
    > This happened to a mate of mine (not a friend of a friend - if needed I can get him
    > to post . They were queued up to buy tickets to ascend the Eiffel tower and had a
    > "United States of America"[1] couple in front trying to use US dollars. The chap
    > at the counter refused and also refused their credit card, insisting on francs
    > only. The couple were offended that their attempts to pay were rejected.

I also think people are just aching to spot these things, though.

I speak English with an American accent. Recently, I was in Gibraltar for the
afternoon with an American friend.

We had, without particularly noticing, run through our pounds buying lunch, but along
the way had noticed that Euros were accepted in pay phones, vending machines,
restaurants, etc., at quite nearly no rate penalty.

Heading up the rock, we reached the ticket booth. Trying to pay, we discovered that
we didn't have enough Gibraltar currency. I asked whether we could make up the
difference with Euros.

The attendant launched into a vituperative screed, flecks of spittle raining down
upon us as we meekly weathered his harangue. "This is a Sterling area, sir. Here we
use the Pound for payment. I realise [do I have to spell that way when transcribing a
British accent?] that in Americker, you spend the dollar everywhere you go, but if
you went up into Canada, would you expect to be able to pay with American dollars?
There are different currencies, sir, for different places."

"Um, okay, yes, I understand that, it's just that it's quite hot and a long way back
down to the bank. But I understand. We'll go back and get some pounds."

The funny part was that he then did accept the Euros, and had a whole drawer full of
them from previous visitors.

I understand that this is a topic of particular sensitivity in Gibraltar.
Nevertheless I sort of doubt that every European traveler gets that treatment.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu