Should Be Illegal

[Ridgerunner]

I've run into it a few times in the States, more often overseas when I was traveling on company business. I'd get stuck in a hotel late at night and their otel restaurant required a coat or maybe even a coat and tie. In those days I needed a coat and tie for business meetings anyway so it wasn't that big a deal. I'm going back a few years, well decades.

I can remember one place where the staff was pretty obnoxious about it, trying to insist that I wear their bright red jacket instead of me going back to my room to get my jacket. I was stuck there, it was late and in a fairly isolated place in the UK, the fabrication yards often were, and I was not going to bed without a meal. it only took a few minutes to get my jacket. I can assure you they did not get a tip and were told why, after I ate. I did not want a mad waiter alone with my food. As obnoxious as he was I certainly did not trust him.

 

[ninnymary]

Thanks Bay will pick up Mary, your flea market sounds like a dream

My bags are packed! Can we bring Thistle along?

Mary

 

[Nyboy]

Good suggestion Mary

 

[aftermidnight]

Well, to tell the truth I'm not comfortable in high fa-looting restaurants. Not saying we haven't eaten in some very nice ones. When we were in Tucson, we went to a 5 star restaurant, very posh indeed. We all dressed to the nines and headed out. As we finished each course waiters seemed to pop out from behind a curtain and whip your plate away, at the same time any crumb that had dared to remain on the tablecloth was brushed away with a wisk. You were served sherbet or like to cleanse the palate in between courses. Then the wine list, when it came it was on a very big ornate wooden thingy. What the hell do you do with that, prop it up against a chair when finished with it, we did.
I have to say although the food was prepared and looked very elegant, french cuisine really doesn't do it for me, as we left all the ladies were handed a long stemmed red rose, my one and only experience in a 5 star restaurant. I guess some people enjoy these kind of restaurants but to be honest they just don't do it for me.

I can't remember if it was in Tucson or Huston, it was a long time ago, our plane got in late and we were starved so went looking for somewhere to eat, we happened on The Pack'um In Steak House. Dimly lit, tables were covered with oilskin table cloths and had every bottle of sauce imaginable on the tables, I had the best steak I've ever eaten there, lord it was good and I'm not saying that because I was hungry.
Another time when in Huston the night before we left we went to another restaurant, can't remember what we had, our waiter was not a Texan but of another nationality and we could see he was struggling with the language, never the less he was very attentive. The men ordered Drambuie to finish off their meal, when it came he had brought back two Drambuies in Brandy snifters, they were half full . You should have seen those boys eyes light up. As we were getting ready to leave our waiter rushed up and said you 'all come back now, with his accent it completely broke us up, that man got the biggest tip I think we've ever given. Needless to say we went back to our hotel in a taxi, had to pour the guys into their beds.

You guys have so many great restaurants your side of the border, quite often we would head down to Seattle for a weekend, stay with friends and go out for dinner, back in the 80's it was Ray's Boathouse for King Crab, Jake O'Shaughnessy's for prime rib cooked in a rock salt oven, wilted spinach salad and home made ice cream yum, and let's not forget Andy's dinner for those fabulous prawns. I could go on.

Then back to Canada, our friends and us had been on the road for 8 hrs. driving back from southern Oregon ( another great prime rib at the fireside Inn, and melt in you mouth Abalone at another restaurant). We hit Vancouver, bone weary, all of us dressed in jeans but we were clean and tidy . We ended up outside one of our snooty restaurants and were debating whether we should go in or not. We had 2 hours to kill before boarding a ferry to the island and we just wanted to sit relax, have a glass of wine, a nice meal would fit the bill nicely. So down we went into one of Vancouver's best. It was early and we were the only ones in there. A waiter just looked at us, so we just seated ourselves. He finally came over with some menus, I might add with a snotty look on his face... we ordered. He came back with the ice water to fill our glasses, grudgingly filling them, when he got to my hubby, I don't know what happened but the ice water landed in hubby's lap. Boy I have never seen such a quick change in attitude, after that he was a different man. The meal was excellent and as we were about to leave my girlfriend said that waiter doesn't deserve a tip, I said I always leave a tip as many rely on tips just to make ends meet and if you don't you are leaving a bad impression on what kind of a person you are. So I left the tip 'Two Cents', hoping it left this waiter some food for thought.

Lord I do babble on when I get on a roll.

Annette

 

[Nyboy]

I love the 2 cent tip, much better then no tip.

 

[aftermidnight]

@Nyboy , cant do that anymore, the penny has been discontinued in Canada as have 50 cent pieces, 1 and 2 dollar bills and our folding money is now made out of plastic so don't fold or put in a roll. Never leave any bills in a pocket when doing a wash, if they make it to the dryer it will just shrivel up into something unrecognizable .
Annette

 

[Nyboy]

Wow

 

[baymule]

@Nyboy , cant do that anymore, the penny has been discontinued in Canada as have 50 cent pieces, 1 and 2 dollar bills and our folding money is now made out of plastic so don't fold or put in a roll. Never leave any bills in a pocket when doing a wash, if they make it to the dryer it will just shrivel up into something unrecognizable .
Annette

That's weird. Plastic money? At least we can wash and dry our money, it's pretty tough stuff. Too bad it isn't worth much. When I was a kid, penny bubble gum was great stuff. Big, pink, gooey-sweet wad of gum to make any little kid's mouth water at the thought of it. Always wanted a whole dollar so I could buy 100 pieces!

 

[Nyboy]

Bazooka bubble gum

 

[canesisters]

That's weird. Plastic money?

Visa?? Master Card??