CULTURE: First Impressions

The really nice guy has currently two friends from Germany visiting for three weeks. It is the first time in the USA for both of them and I enjoy all their discoveries of the American Way of Life. It reminds me of my first trip to the States eons ago in 1993 and how everything here was so similar to Germany and yet so completely different and thrilling.

Free refills, for example, are something we Germans can get really excited about, and quite understandably so. In our country we even have to pay extra for ketchup if we like it with our Bratwurst and fries. When we first get to the USA, we also try to order our Coke without ice. In three out of ten cases, the waitress is not too discombobulated by this strange desire and we actually get what we ordered. Due to that disappointing result, however, most of us give up on that special request after six weeks and get used to drinking our Coke with the polar bears.

Something else that we literally have to get acclimated with is the bond of affection the Americans share with their air condition. Yes, it might be snowing outside but this is the land of the free, after all. There is no law that prevents the restaurant manager from keeping the setting of the thermostat where it had been all summer. The really nice guy and I have lived here long enough to be prepared to enjoy our meal in a room that is chilled to a crisp 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, we forgot to forewarn our visitors and recommend that they bring their winter outfits.

The other day the four of us went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. We were seated right under the air conditioning and as the minutes passed every one of us was looking more and more disheveled. I got my scarf out to wrap it around my head, hoping to bear remote resemblance to Grace Kelly, while the really nice guy put on his baseball cap he providently had brought. We started feeling bad for his friends, though, who seriously considered using the tablecloth as a shield from the cold air that was blowing into our faces. Not wanting to risk that either one of us got a cold we asked the waiter if there was something he could do.

Had we been in Germany, the general recommendation of the staff would have been to leave the restaurant immediately and to only come back once we were not such wussies anymore. Here, however, our wish was the waiter's command. Not only did he offer us to be seated at another table, he also adjusted the temperature of the air conditioning. Moments later, the restaurant was filled with warm air. The really nice guy and I could lose our headgear and we all had an enjoyable dinner.

I know of course that one man's meat is another man's poison. Nevertheless, I didn't believe my own eyes when I saw the four men leaving that had been sitting at the corner table. All of them had taken off as many clothes as possible while still trying to remain dressed with political correctness. I didn't think their attempt was very successful but at least they met the criteria of being rated PG-13. All of them were still wearing boxer shorts, t-shirts, and socks while carrying their shoes in the left hand and their jeans and sweaters in the right.

Even though I'm still impressed that none of them complained about the supposedly high temperature I feel bad that we forced hot flushes upon them. Will I return to that restaurant any time soon?

I'll keep you posted.

Bis bald,
SAPgirl