Originally Posted by meauxna

True.
The apostraphe abuse might send 'em all around the bend

Originally Posted by Angry White Pyjamas

I think on an upswing phase now....time to extol the virtues of my adopted land.

Originally Posted by Dan725

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that when ordering a meal it seems that there is a high propertion of Americans who have rude manners!

When the waiter takes an order, a lot of them say "I want the steak", "Get me the lobster", or whatever, without so much as a please or thankyou or a smile or acknowledgement, even if the waiter is chatty and smiley and says how are you - they talk over them like they are not even there. Similarly in take away places - on a few occasions I've seen it where someone comes in to pick up an order, and the smiling counter person says, "Hi, how are you?", and the ignoramus just scowls, blurts out their order number, pays and exits without so much as a by your leave!

A Brit friend mentioned this to me, and I can't stop seeing it now!

I'm not saying there are not rude people in the UK, or polite people in the US, it just seems to be more common over here.

When I was brought up, my parents were forever telling me that "I want never gets" and to always say please and thankyou, seems not to be taught over here!

I've also noticed a lot of the worst offenders are your older, pride-themselves-on-manners church crowd.

I find it strange that, in a country that prides themselves on their hospitality, it all goes wrong on the little details we're generally brought up with!

Oh, and not to mention the irritating and picky specifications of some diners - they WANT a little bit more of this, something else thats not on the menu, extra this that and the other, a ton of napkins, talking loud on cell phones when the waiter is there, yadda yadda yadda,! Inside my head I'm always shouting "Stop being so picky and be thankful with what you are getting!!"

Rant over!

Originally Posted by AmerLisa

Oh ffs!

Originally Posted by britvic

So very true!!! But we must remember to say not all American's

Originally Posted by AmerLisa

My friend!!!

Originally Posted by rushman

Seems i am in a minority here.

Originally Posted by rushman

I refuse to let my kids talk with food in there mouths, I don't want to see a human concrete mixer swirling half eaten food in their mouths to the tune of 'smack and slurp". Seems i am in a minority here.

Originally Posted by ladylisa

I too though that on the whole the Americans I had met were rude and abrupt however it took me a while to work out that what I am really seeing is cultural differences. In the UK we are raised to say please, thank you and sorry like it was going out of fashion. I will even apologise if someone else steps on my foot. Its the way we do things. Americans are only rude to us, they are not rude to themselves. I witnessed a waitress putting food and drinks down at a table of people and not one looked at her or said thank you. I was more bothered by this than she was. The people that write on this forum are based all over the US so it isn't an area thing as some are saying. We all notice it because culturally we do things differently. They probably think were just as annoying for being so damn polite

Originally Posted by AmerLisa

Do you seriously, and I'm serious here, think that Americans are not raised to say "please, thank you and the rest"? It amazes me that anyone would make such a statement, it really does. It would be as bad as my living in the UK and thinking they were all cretins because I saw some kids throwing garbage on the ground and not placing it in a trash bin.

Originally Posted by izibear

never mind tradespeople who make appointments with you and then don't even bother to come out, wasting our time, and don't bother to call to apologize (a pet peeve of most Floridians, don't know if the rest of the country is like that).

Originally Posted by izibear

When was the last time you were in the U.K., and a kid walked in your door, right past you, without even acknowledging you were there, headed for your refrigerator, helped himself to a drink and toddled off to your son's room to see if he was up? It doesn't happen with one kid. It happens with most of the neighborhood kids. And from experience, the wealthier the neighborhood, the worst the manners are.

Yes, many of my friends' kids are not like that. But, and this is just my 9 years' personal experience speaking, that is how the majority act in my, and others' homes down here.

Originally Posted by fatbrit

One that gets me is the "I need..." when ordering. Especially as 99 times out of 100 they plainly don't need it.