Nov 17 2003
Hurry, hurry, hurry… and gadges
So I always knew it, and experienced it again today; Americans are always in a hurry and expect you to be as well. Everything needs to go fast for them. We – Lucas Sherwood from Macromedia, Martijn Verhoeven and Ronald van Schaik from Rhinofly and I – went out for diner tonight. We were looking for something relaxed because we are still recovering from our jetlag.However, Americans don’t seem to take a lot of time for their diner. The waitress was incredibly pushing us to make choices, to clean the dishes and to get us the bill. For some reason, none of us felt really comfortable with it. We are used to going to a restaurant at 7 and not leaving before 9, or later. Not to this bite-swallow-and-leave mentality!
Oh well, I think we have to get used to it for the rest of the week 😉
Anyway, we had a good diner (‘Macromedia’ was eating steak, ‘Rhinofly’ preferred fish) and chatted about everything that makes a week in the States so good; gadges, the men’s-only-television station that they have in the hotel (also gadgeds, cars etc) and collecting pictures from American warning signs (all the shops were closed in Salt Lake City, apparently the Rhinofly team had nothing else to do). What else do you need?
Well, maybe an Aibo. Lucas, the super-gadget-freak from this evening, bought a new one this week and showed it to me. I never had seen one in reality, and it was great fun. Unfortunately Lucas broke his bone, so he (is Aibo male or female?) only had a ball to play with and he was not really in the mood. Lucas considers to bring it to MAX this week and build a ColdFusion-Java-Aibo bridge whilst he is at the booth. I’m not sure whether he really is going to do that, but if you are interested and want to see it, then let him know by placing your comments here!
9 responses so far
You’re not alone in feeling rushed in a restaurant. I’m an American and I feel like I’m being forced to eat as fast as possible for the benefit of the proprietor all the time. You see, this comes down to the fact that the longer you sit in that seat, the less tips the wait staff will get. Less tips means less money. And less money, means less gadgets. All clear now? (smile)
Haha, the lady did not really look like she was a gadget freak 🙂
I understand your point but I understand that you have not yet been in Salt Lake City on Sunday evening… there’s no one on the street, the restaurant was not even half filled! So there was absolutely no reason for her to get us out as soon as possible, she could have earned more money if we wanted to stay a bit longer (means “drink more beer”).
It’s just so much in the culture that they forget about it 😉
What?
Beer in Salt Lake City??
On a Sunday???
😉
Darn, you *almost* make me wish I was there with you guys… Wait a second, what am I saying… it’s Ohio!!! 🙂
Have fun guys.
Spike… Salt Lake is about to loose it’s reputation 😉
LOL – Well, I guess it all depends on the crowd, and the circumstance. There are times when we North Americans (I am a Canadian, but I live in the US) like to spend time eating and drinking in a social setting. It all depends. I had several relaxing dinners while at MAX with a crowd of people. Restaurants often try to rush you out the door.
Nice blog, by the way! I will have to add a link to your blog on mine! http://www.wvmug.org/blog.cfm
LOL – Well, I guess it all depends on the crowd, and the circumstance. There are times when we North Americans (I am a Canadian, but I live in the US) like to spend time eating and drinking in a social setting. It all depends. I had several relaxing dinners while at MAX with a crowd of people. Restaurants often try to rush you out the door.
Nice blog, by the way! I will have to add a link to your blog on mine! http://www.wvmug.org/blog.cfm